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My Visit to Rowdy Girl Sanctuary

November 5, 2015 by Jillian 8 Comments

rowdy girl sanctuary

cattle eating

tommy and renee

fireball and dog

Beautiful bovines! Magnificent moos! Chipper chickens! Purdy piggy! They all awaited me and more at the amazing Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Angleton, Texas. The interesting thing about this particular sanctuary is that up until recently it was a cattle ranch, and had been for many years. But Renee Sonnen couldn’t bear to watch the calves torn from their mamas and loaded up into the red trailer to be taken off to the sale barn for slaughter. After stints of being vegetarian and even having a raw diet at one point, she made the connection between these sentient animals and the food she was eating and decided that she’d had enough. She went vegan and bought the remaining cattle from her husband Tommy, and the Sonnen Ranch became Rowdy Girl Sanctuary.

Renee and Tommy (and Jolene the dachshund) were kind enough to take me on a tour of the sanctuary and introduce me to these wonderful animals and their personal stories. Along with the cattle from their ranch, they have also begun rescuing other farm animals and hope to expand the sanctuary so they can accommodate even more cute critters ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿ” ๐Ÿท

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Animals, Bits & Pieces Tagged With: angleton texas, animal rescue, animals, blind calf, calf, cattle, cattle ranch, chickens, compassionate, compassionate women, cows, cute animals, farm animals, farm sanctuary, my visit to rowdy girl sanctuary, pig, rowdy girl, rowdy girl sanctuary, Texas, turkey, vegan, veganic farm, women

Sweet Potato Fries with Magic Sauce

October 22, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

sweet potato fries with magic sauce

magic sauce

sweet potato fries with magic sauce

For the past several weeks I’ve basically been living off sweet potato fries and banana nice cream and I’m totally okay with that. Bananas and sweet potatoes are two of the most nutritious foods known to man ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ  (and the fact that there’s even a sweet potato emoji pretty much sums it up, right?) and they’re dang delicious.

What’s even more applause worthy is that these sweet potato fries are filling enough to be an entire meal ๐Ÿ‘ I make them for lunch or dinner and they are totally satisfying. I mean, crunchy and savory wedges with a hint of garlic and cumin, dipped in creamy, tangy magic sauce? ๐Ÿ˜ Heart exploding.

I hope I never ever get tired of these fries because they should really be named Awesome Amazing Dynamite Sweet Potato Fries with Magically Powered Magic Sauce ๐Ÿ’ฅ ๐Ÿ’ฅย ๐Ÿ’ฅ but that was too long for this blog post…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Quick & Easy, Recipes Tagged With: banana nice cream, cholula sauce, compassionate, compassionate women, cumin, dinner, fries, healthy, lunch, magic sauce, nutritional yeast, quick and easy, recipe, side dish, sweet potato, sweet potato fries, sweet potato fries with magic sauce, tangy, vegan, vegan mayo, wedges, women

Exploring the Rio Grande Valley

October 16, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

exploring the rio grande valley

palm trees

I recently returned from a 10 day visit to the Rio Grande Valley region of Texas, which is located in the southernmost tip of South Texas. It lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande river, which separates Mexico from the United States. This area is known as The Valley to locals, and not only does it boast natural beauty and lively culture, but it’s quite historic as well.

Last week I wrote about my experience being Vegan in the Rio Grande Valley, but this week I wanted to share the photos I took of all the cool places there are to visit in the region. I’m only sad I couldn’t stay longer, because there was a lot I didn’t get to see.

McAllen, Texas

This is one of the largest cities in the valley, but as someone that’s lived in huge cities, McAllen is just the right size. It still has a small town feel in certain ways, but lots of modern amenities so it was easy to find everything I needed. There’s lots of local events, which provided me a good chance to immerse myself in the community and interact with the locals.

cine el rey

The Cine El Rey Theatre hosts lots of events, including stand up comedy, open-mic night, wrestling, and musicals. They also offer tons of free movie screenings complete with free popcorn. I decided to join the local French Club for a Sunday matinee of a French thriller and it was pretty awesome. Free popcorn, drinks, donuts, cookies, and there’s couches in the theater if you prefer that to actual chairs ๐Ÿ™‚

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bits & Pieces, Travel Tagged With: art walk mcallen, border town, brownsville, cameron county, cine el rey theatre, compassionate, compassionate women, exploring the rio grande valley, harlingen, international bridge, iwo jima monument, la lomita chapel, matamoros, mcallen, mexican food, mexico, mission, museums, nature center, palm trees, rio grande, rio grande valley, sausage tree, south texas, Texas, the valley, vegan, women

Dark Chocolate Dipped Figs

October 1, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

ย 

dark chocolate dipped figs

dark chocolate figs

It’s no secret that chocolate is my favorite food. It’s considered a food group, right? ๐Ÿซ ๐Ÿช Well, it should be. Who do I call about that?

And ever since I rented out a house with a fig tree in the yard a few years ago, I’ve been obsessed with fresh figs. When I combine these two loves together, what do I get?

๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽŠ๐Ÿ†๐Ÿ˜‚โค๏ธ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ‰

These Dark Chocolate Dipped Figs are so easy to make. They make a great snack or dessert, only contain a handful of ingredients, and they’re vegan! Win/win/win. They’re incredibly sweet and juicy, with chocolately goodness and a hint of saltiness.

chocolate covered figs

Despite being incredibly tasty, fresh figs have numerous health benefits. Here are a few:

  • good source of potassium, which helps lower blood pressure
  • full of dietary fiber, which has a positive effect on weight management
  • source of the trace mineral manganese
  • fig leaves contain anti-diabetic properties and lower the level of triglycerides, and can possibly inhibit the growth of some cancer cells

Fig season is just about over, so if your local store still has them in stock (or if you’re lucky enough to have access to a fig tree), grab some and make this delicious and healthy treat!

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Confection, Quick & Easy, Recipes Tagged With: chocolate, chocolate covered figs, cocoa powder, coconut oil, coconut sugar, compassionate, compassionate women, confection, dark chocolate, dark chocolate dipped figs, delicious, dessert, espresso sea salt, fig season, fig tree, figs, fresh figs, gluten free, healthy, recipe, sea salt flakes, snack, stevia powder, vegan, vegan chocolate, women, yummy

Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center

September 24, 2015 by Jillian 2 Comments

shangri la botanical gardens and nature center

The saying third time’s a charmย  was definitely true in my experience with visiting Shangri La. The first time my friend and I visited a couple of years ago, we got inside the gates, we watched the welcome video, we were ready to explore the beautiful gardens that awaited us, and bam! – thunder and torrential downpour. We intended to visit again a year later when I was in town for the weekend. We were ready to spend all day Sunday gallivanting around Shangri La, and due to poor planning on our part, realized too late that they are closed on Sunday ๐Ÿ™

Fast forward four months and finally the magic happens ๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŽ‰ It only took about two years. So worth it, though! Shangri La Botanical Gardens is located in the heart of Orange, Texas, which is really close to the Louisiana state line. You can tour the gardens, visit the gift shop, and grab a snack at the cafe. Here is their info:

Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center

2111 West Park Avenue

Orange, Texas 77630

I really enjoyed exploring the natural beauty, the creative landscaping, and the wildlife. It’s very peaceful and inspiring. Here are some of my favorite photos from our visit, but I encourage you to visit and see for yourself ๐ŸŒป

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Bits & Pieces, Travel Tagged With: beaumont, botanical garden, compassionate, compassionate women, flowers, gardens, inspiring, landscaping, natural beauty, nature center, orange texas, peaceful, shangri la, shangri la botanical gardens and nature center, southeast texas, Texas, wildlife, women

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HEY THERE! I’M JILLIAN.

I live near Houston, Texas with my rescue dog Stella! I create cruelty-free recipes that are delicious, to demonstrate that it's easy to follow a plant-based lifestyle. Not only are the health and beauty benefits noticeable, but it creates a more sustainable planet and keeps our animal friends safe & happy. In our spare time, Stella and I also love watching movies, reading, snuggling, and taking long walks! LEARN MOREโ€ฆ

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