Happy Halloween!
Before I get to part 1 of the giveaway, I want to share a last-minute Halloween idea.
I present to you: Spooky Shakes…
They are more homely than scary, but let’s just go with it!
I spotted this on Martha and I thought it was a cute idea. To make: all you do is melt a tiny amount of chocolate (about 1-2 tbsp) and then paint chocolate ghost faces on the inside of the glass using the end of a popsicle stick. Easy.
Place the glasses in the freezer or fridge to set the chocolate. For the shake, I blended vegan vanilla ice cream (I love almond or coconut varieties), with a splash of almond milk and some ice, served with a cinnamon stick. You could even make a healthier shake by blending frozen bananas with almond milk. The chocolate faces stay intact thanks to the cold smoothies.
Now, for part 1 of the giveaway…
Today, I’m celebrating YOU – the kick-butt, Green Monster chuggin, recipe-lovin’ Oh She Glows community! On October 31, 2008, I started the blog on a complete whim, not thinking I would ever have the attention span to stick with it, but here I am 4 years later still smashing my head against the keyboard daily and chasing my dreams. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who read the blog each day and my hope is that you find as much inspiration here as I’ve found in all of you.
Now, to celebrate!
1) Blendtec Total Blender & Twister Jar
Blendtec has been gracious enough to donate one of their coveted Total Blender Classic Wildside machines (picture above) valued at $454.95 USD! Whoa baby. I’ve reviewed the Blendtec before on the blog and I can attest that it’s a great machine.
About the blender: “Total Blender Classic Series® is the all-in-one appliance that makes smoothies, fresh juice, ice cream, milkshakes, cappuccinos, margaritas, soups, sauces, bread dough, dressings, salsas, and more! It replaces up to 9 other appliances with one fast easy-to-use machine, at a fraction of the cost. This package includes the new precision tuned 4″ blade in the large nearly 3-quart total capacity BPA-free jar. The new large blade / large jar combination powers through tougher blending tasks and larger recipes with ease, and in less time.”
In addition to the blender, they are also giving away a Twister Jar (shown below) valued at $119.00 USD!
About the Twister Jar: “Blendtec’s newest innovation, the Twister Jar, is designed to blend your thickest recipes such as: Nut Butters, Hummus, Baby Food, Dips, Thick Shakes, Dressings and more! Best of all, it’s compatible with all Blendtec Home Blenders.”
Update: The giveaway winner is….
Thank you for sharing your touching (and often hilarious!) “lessons to my younger self” comments. If you are ever feeling down and need a pick me up, just read through the comments. It’s amazing to see how many of us have struggled with the same life lessons.
The lucky winner of the Blendtec machine is #3659 – Alicia Woulfe! Congrats! I will email you shortly to collect your mailing address. Thanks to everyone for participating!
How To Enter:
Giveway is now closed.
I would have told myself to CHILL OUT! and that everything would turn out just fine. I was a wee bit too stressed, especially in high school!
I tweeted this blog post for the blendtech giveaway entry
Ok well being the older, wiser 22 year old I am now, I would tell young Catherine this:
It will get better. No matter the situation and how bad things may seem right now and how hard life is, it truly does get better. Keep working toward your dreams, always be you, and hold on to the good.
I pinned your spooky shakes for a blendtec! Can’t wait to make some of the smoothies with a new blendtec ;)
I would tell my younger self to stay away from fake sliming shakes and make fresh out of organic fruits and veggies. And stay away from all that junk is promoting about loosing weight.
I just pinned your recipe for black bean and butternut squash burritos – they are one of my favorites! Thanks Angela :-)
I would tell myself to stop hiding from the camera. One day you will realize that you were never as fat as you imagined, and you will wish you had more pictures of yourself as a young woman.
Stop worrying and start living
I would tell my younger self that life is too short to stress out about things that don’t really matter when you think about the bigger picture. A mantra I recently heard (that I wish I had heard earlier!) was “I’m too blessed to be so stressed”. Exactly.
Advice I would give my younger self:
What you need to know for the ‘real world’ they don’t teach you in school. What they do teach you you will use 0.5% of the time in the ‘real world’ – if you’re lucky. To function in the office, go back to Kindergarten. That’s where the real learning begins.
Knowing this, follow your dreams, your passion, your desires. Life is too short to toil at a desk (unless that is what you love). Don’t be afraid to take risks, jump in with both feet, and go for it!
(And yes, younger self, I mean it. Don’t roll your eyes at me!)
Just tweeted the contest! Thanks Ange, love the site!
I would advise myself to not stress out so much and to enjoy life as it comes at you. Be responsible, but not so much that you block out friends and family. Be kind and love generously–and don’t worry so much about what you look like–you ARE pretty :)
Love your blog!! I would tell my younger self to embrace every one of those moments when my dad was “embarrassing” me. Even though I didn’t appreciate his banjo serenades, say at high school graduation, I sure wish he’d play for me now! :)
My word of advice to my younger self would be to be kind. People just want to be loved and accepted. Everyone has such beauty–both in and out. Why make life tougher for anyone by being mean?
I repinned one of your pins on Pinterest.
I would tell my younger self to listen to my instincts instead of being influenced by what other people tell me I should do. Except my mom, she was always right! It’s all figured out now, but I sure wish I started doing it earlier!
I would tell myself to enjoy things more…it is not worth the drama in the end.
Tweet https://twitter.com/yourpotofgold/status/263736230120923136
I would tell my younger self to stop being so shy. It’s actually really easy to make friends just by being friendly and starting up a conversation!
i would tell my younger self to enjoy being young, growing up happens soon enough!