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.
Sitting in the library approximately 1 month away from another round of law school exams, I would tell myself that law school will be much harder and more emotional than the romanticized version I dreamed about in high school. Still worth it! Just very, very tough. Earning an education to “change the world” is not what I thought it would be.
I would tell myself to cherish the people that love and care about me more than ever, and to not waste time on trying to change those who detract my life.
and to wear sunscreen!
I pinned :)
And I forgot to say, Happy Bloggerversary! And those ghost face smoothie/shakes are adorable.
I would tell myself not to be so harsh on myself and that you could accomplish anything you set your mind to, you are a very strong lady.
I’d BEG my younger self to NEVER START SMOKING……..
because Quitting (5 years now :D YAY me) is the very hardest thing in the world to do!!!
Not to mention how nasty smoking is for your health!!
Then I’d tell my young self to get addicted to making green smoothies instead….more creative, alot more tasty and infinity more healthy!
tweeted
What a great giveaway!!!
I would advise my 16-year old self not to be so hard on my mother. A mother will always love her her child, no matter what and I was a terrible teenager. I just hope that my son won’t be as mean to me as I sometimes was to my mother.
I tweeted! ;)
I would tell my younger self that you are loved just the way you are. The ideals that you think people put upon you are all in your head. They want you to be healthy and happy, and although it might have taken you awhile you finally reached a place of peace and health (The younger me is hard headed).
I would advise my younger self to stay more dedicated through college…I paid quite a bit for it so I wish I would’ve gotten more out of my classes and learning experiences!
I would tell my younger self to dream bigger because anything is possible. And to always moisturize. ;)
I’ve ‘pinned’ several of your recipes!
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/pbdillpickles/status/263749395961479168
I’d tell my child-self that life changes drastically, for the better :)
I would tell my younger self to wear sunscreen, floss, and nurture her relationships with friends and family. Then maybe I would have fewer wrinkles, fewer cavities, and more precious memories.
I would say this: You need to chill out and stop being so hard on yourself because, I kid you not, you are going to do the following things before you turn 30: fly a Cessna, hike up an active volcano, run a marathon, and marry a guy that loves everything about you, even the quirky stuff. So quit freaking out about not getting 100% in grade 10 math. There’s better stuff coming, trust me.
The advice I would give my 16 year old self would be to nourish my body, not starve it! I knew nothing about nutrition at that age and thought I could be really skinny if I just didn’t eat at every meal. We all know that didn’t turn out well :)
Hollie,
This is future you talking (don’t worry, we’ve come a long way!) and I just want to tell you how amazing you are. You are beautiful, smart, and worth hanging in there and working hard for! So keep going…take care of yourself, work hard at school (no matter what!), treat people well and respect yourself. All of these are important, but I really want to emphasize STAYING IN COLLEGE! Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out! Also, have you’re thyroid checked – that’s the culprit behind you being dubbed the “Narcoleptic Friend”!
Oh young one…always remember that you must remain true to yourself, and the best way to accomplish your goals is to surround yourself with supportive friends and family. Whenever possible, spend time with like-minded people. Smile and laugh as much as you can.
I’ve wanted a Blendtec blender ever since I saw their first “Will it blend?” video years ago. I’ll throw my name in here for a chance!
I would tell my teenage self that it really doesn’t matter what the ‘cool kids’ are doing, being yourself is less stress & worry.
And I would tell my 33-year-old self upon learning she was pregnant, ‘Yes, you will love this baby with all your heart & soul.’
What an exciting giveaway! OSG has become my DAILY go-to site for amazing recipes. We have endurance crackers and adventure trail cookies on our countertop at ALL TIMES. I seriously make 2 double batches of these EVERY WEEK. My husband and I are equally obsessed with your recipes, Angela. Advice to younger myself??? Slow down, let go, and have more fun!
I tweeted!!