I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are now feeling very excited for some Boxing Day sale shopping (I know I am!) I’ve discounted everything in the shop to 25% off from now until NYE so head over to jadegreenvegan.com/shop to grab your favourite designs at a huge discount! Happy shopping everyone xo
Kitty wanted me to remind you that if you’re thinking of adding a dog to your family this festive season, remember that a dog is not a toy, they are a lifelong commitment, albeit an incredibly rewarding & loving one. If you think you are ready for this commitment & have room in your life for some unconditional love then please visit your local shelter & adopt your next best friend!
To celebrate this wonderful festive season & promote responsible pet parenting, I have reduced everything in the Christmas line to 40% off from now until Boxing Day when you use the code ‘CHRISTMAS‘ at checkout, meaning t-shirts are just over £10, jumpers £15 and hoodies £18!!! Head over to jadegreenvegan.com/christmas-line to grab yours & in the meantime, enjoy these festive photos taken by my very talented friend Anna Lenda.
This past week has been a crazy/stressful/exciting beyond words blur for me; as last weekend I launched my compassionate clothing line at Vegfest Scotland, then very late on Wednesday night, I launched my online store!
I have been dreaming about/working on this clothing line for over two years now, so I couldn’t be happier that it is finally here. However, in the lead up to the show, to say I was nervous would be an enormous understatement.
Earlier this summer, after four years of working in a job I didn’t really enjoy and feeling as though I wasn’t working towards creating the kind of world I would like to live in, I decided to quit my job and finally use my life savings and my innate desire to help save as many animals as I possibly can, to pursue my dream of creating this clothing line.
With little to no knowledge of what it entailed to set up an online clothing business, I dove head first into building my business. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Now I won’t pretend that it has been all vegan cupcakes and nicecream because the reality is, this has been one of the most worrying/stressful things I have ever done. There have been times where I have questioned whether it’s worth it and if it would have been easier to have kept the financial security of my previous job. However, there is now no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision.
Since embarking on this adventure, I have learnt more than I could have ever imagined about: accounting, marketing, designing, web developing, photography, branding – the list goes on. Whilst it is undeniably challenging at times, seeing people out in the world wearing my designs spreading compassion and kindness, and being able to actively give back to animal charities I admire (for every sale made, £1 is donated to various animal charities) make it all worth it.
And no matter how stressed I get nowadays, it’s no longer the kind of ‘what am I doing with my life?’ stress I used to feel in my previous job. Instead it’s the kind of stress that motivates me to get the job done because I truly care about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. For me, my motivation is the animals. I know that no matter how bad things may seem for me in a difficult moment, it could never compare to the pain of a dairy cow as her baby is ripped away from her at birth and killed for veal so that humans can consume her milk, or to the sorrow of a dog who has been abandoned by its family because having a pet is no longer convenient for them.
One of my favourite quotes by Lily Tomlin is: ‘I used to think somebody should do something about that, then I realised, I am somebody’. I want to help create a world where we value cows and pigs lives just as much as those of our beloved dogs and cats. I want to help create a world where people don’t abandon their dogs at a shelter because they’re too old/too fluffy/too (insert ridiculous excuse here). I want to help create a world where people are compassionate to all beings on this earth.
After years of watching from the sidelines, I am finally doing this and I can honestly say I have never been happier.
So my message to you reading this would be, pour your energy into something you’re passionate about and follow your dreams. I know it sounds cliche, but trust me, it’s worth it! Even if you’re not exactly sure right now how you’re going to make it happen, know that if you want it enough, you can and you will make your dreams a reality. Life is too short to spend all day every day doing something that doesn’t make you feel alive! You’ll never regret trying. So give it a go!
Hey guys!
I’m coming at you today with my first (of many) travel posts from Australia. To start off this travel series, I wanted to share with you one of my favourite places that we’ve eaten at on this trip:
This cute little café is just a short walk from the beach front and serves 100% plant-based pies that are 100% delicious! The pies can be served with mash potato, peas and gravy or a healthier alternative of side salad.
Matt and I both opted for the Funky Chunky pie which is made of shiitake mushroom chunks in a rich gravy with a touch of creamy mash, and of course, we opted for more creamy mash, peas and gravy on the side. We both agreed that the meal was absolutely delicious, so delicious in fact that we decided to go back to Funky Pies for round 2 at dinner time (where Matt ordered not one but two pies #bigfan)!!
For dessert, we shared a slice of mint chocolate cake and a caramel slice that were both deliciously sweet and the perfect way to finish off an incredible lunch.
Funky Pies is by far my favourite restaurant that we visited in Sydney, not only because of the amazing food but also due to the friendly and helpful staff and the cool vibe of the café itself. If you’re planning on visiting Bondi Beach soon and you love eating wholesome, delicious food, visiting Funky Pies is a must!
I filmed a little vlog of our day in Bondi Beach and our meal at Funky Pies, you can check that out here:
I was absolutely ecstatic… until I realised that the event would be taking place this month whilst I’m travelling in Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately I was therefore unable to attend the event; however, Quorn very kindly extended the invitation to my mum who was more than happy to go in my place. It was great to hear how much fun the event was and moreover how great the new products are (even if it did make me a little envious ;)).Here’s what my mum had to say about the event & the new vegan quorn range…
“On arrival Micaela from Quorn warmly greeted us and we were offered a drink and a selection of vegan hors d’oeuvres. Micalea explained there would be a presentation from Jen Shepherd, UK Digital and PR, followed by an opportunity to try the new vegan Quorn products.
The presentation was informative and interesting, with Jen Shepherd explaining how and why Quorn was initially developed. In the 1960s it was predicted that by the 1980s there would be a shortage of protein rich foods. In response, research was undertaken to address this perceived problem resulting in the development of Mycoprotein, which was launched to the UK in 1993 as a retail range of protein rich, meat alternative ‘Quorn’ products. As opposed to simply a meat-free alternative, recent market research has shown that Quorn is now perceived as a health product.
Vegan Quorn has been developed in response to demand from the vegan community via all aspects of social media, including influence from numerous celebrities such as Beyonce, adopting this lifestyle. For three years, Quorn have been working behind the scenes to develop a range of vegan products. Currently, they have developed and perfected five products that are ready to launch to the mainstream supermarkets. However, at present only ASDA and Waitrose have committed to stocking two of these products: Quorn Vegan hot and spicy chicken style burger and Quorn Vegan chicken style pieces.
After the presentation we were able to sample the Quorn Vegan hot and spicy burger in a brioche bun. The burger was delicious, with a great texture and the perfect amount of spice. Two dishes were prepared with the chicken style pieces; one a stir fry with baby corn and mange tout (which was also delicious), and the other a mini pizza style dish with tomatoes and onions.
Even though we don’t generally buy meat alternatives (apart from meat-free sausages), after having the opportunity to try these recipes, I will definitely be buying both products and look forward to creating some of our own recipes with the meat-free pieces.”
It makes me so happy that more and more people are switching to a healthy and compassionate vegan lifestyle and that there has been such an increase in the demand for vegan products that Quorn have decided to create this range.
Both the chicken style pieces and the spicy burger will be available at Asda from October 2015 for only £2.49 each! After hearing all of my mum’s feedback, I can’t wait to purchase both of these products when I’m home and try out some of the recipes that Quorn have kindly sent me and also create some of my own to share with you guys, so look out for those in the coming months!
In the meantime, find out more about the products at quorn.co.uk/vegan
Lola’s Cookie Jar is a cute little pet bakery offering vegetarian and vegan dog treats made with all natural ingredients; meaning no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. As I’m sure you all know, I am obsessed with my four beautiful dogs (Poppy, Panda, Teddy & Kitty), so naturally I want to feed them the best and healthiest food to help them live long, happy and healthy lives. This is why I was absolutely thrilled when I came across Lola’s Cookie Jar on instagram, as it can be so hard to find dog treats that are not only vegan but are also made from wholesome, natural ingredients (unlike many of the commercial dog food brands).
Katarina, the lovely founder of Lola’s Cookie Jar, kindly sent me three bags of the vegan treats in her range for my gang to try out. Luckily the treats arrived on the day I left for Australia, so I got to have a little treat tasting session with the dogs (they thought it was all of their birthdays and Christmas rolled into one), and of course, take lots of cute pictures.
As you can tell from Poppy’s ‘must not look at treats’ face, the dogs found these ones pretty hard to resist. Poppy, who is normally the fussiest eater, absolutely loved them so they must be pretty darn tasty .
After nudging them around a little, the dogs were big fans of the Lucky Charms. I’m not sure if this had something to do with the colour (particularly for Teddy, as he loves all pink anything!) but whatever the reason there wasn’t a pink crumb in sight.
True to their name, the truffles are definitely the most luxurious of the range. They look and smell so good that I was even a little tempted to give them a try, and it is safe to say that the dogs definitely shared my excitement with these ones being their favourite!
I absolutely love finding and supporting awesome small vegan businesses, so I’m really happy we found Lola’s Cookie Jar and I’m sure we’ll be placing our next order very soon.
To check out Lola’s Cookie Jar’s delicious range of treats, go to lolascookiejar.com
You can also follow Lola’s Cookie Jar on instagram @lolascookiejar and on facebook Lola’s cookies and bits.
I’m also really excited to be able to share with you all my interview with Katarina about the inspiration behind Lola’s Cookie Jar and what it’s like to run a small vegan/vegetarian business, so look out for that later this week.
Ever since we got back from New York & Las Vegas where we had some incredible vegan pizzas, Matt and I have been on the hunt for a reeeally good vegan pizza restaurant. When Matt heard that FED by water serves ‘the best vegan pizza in London’, we knew we had to check it out.
FED is a cool little restaurant in Dalston that offers both vegan and non-vegan Italian cuisine, making it the perfect place to hang out with non-vegan friends/family. I love that this concept restaurant also aims to spread awareness about the nutritional importance of pure water because who doesn’t love chilled, clean water and all of the amazing things drinking it in abundance can do for our bodies?!
Now, onto the mouth-watering food…
I ordered a vegan cheese margherita with portobello mushrooms and red onions, whilst Matt ordered the ‘Silly’, a vegan cheese pizza topped with broccoli and soya sausage. We both agreed that the toppings and cheese were incredible and the crust was perfectly crispy.
We managed to save a little bit of room for dessert and shared the chocolate mousse which was rich, creamy and just generally delicious!
We both really enjoyed the whole meal so next time we’re on that side of London, I’m sure we’ll be heading back to FED.
Next weekend, 2 of my friends and I will be spending 24 hours in a kennel, completely cut off from technology and living on a budget of £1.20 each (the price of 2 cans of dog food). We’re doing this to raise funds for Foal Farm, the rescue centre we voluteer at, to build a much-needed new kennel block for the dogs.
Foal farm is an incredible no-kill animal rescue that is funded entirely on donations, so fundraising like this is really important as it enables Foal Farm to continue saving lives.
We’ve filmed a short video explaining a bit about what we’ll be doing and more importantly, why we’re doing it ▹▸▹▸
If you’d like to find out a little more about why this cause is so special to us, please check out my post 5 REASONS TO ADOPT YOUR NEXT BEST FRIEND and my friend Maria’s post about her dog rescue story.
We, and the dogs, will be incredibly grateful for anything you can donate, no matter how big or small. The more money we raise, the more lives we save! If you’d like to contribute, you can find our fundraising page at: gofundme.com/sleepingruff
Thanks so much for your support guys!
Jade xxx
Ever since I tried Trek‘s delicious flapjacks, I have been determined to create my own version to share with all of you. With the help of my not so secret favourite ingredient – lotus spread – which basically makes everything better, I have created these little bites of yumminess ▽▼▽▼▽.
I’m seriously so addicted to these delicious little treats and they’ve also been a big hit in my uni flat so I’m sure you guys are going to love them too! I’m off to make another batch of these babies for my road-trip home this weekend, so here’s the recipe, hope you all love them as much as I do!
Ingredients
Recipe
Check out the 2 minute video below if you’d like to follow along with me to see how easy it is to make these delicious little treats ▽▼▽▼▽
When I was a vegetarian Prezzo was one of my all time favourite restaurants and until last week, I hadn’t been back since going vegan. When I saw that the allergen menu on Prezzo’s website said that the Bruschetta was suitable for vegans, I thought it was too good to be true… aaaand after a little chat with our waitress, turns out it was too good to be true – the pesto contains parmeasan. Our lovely waitress was so helpful and explained to me all of the things which were suitable for vegans (including the pizza dough). So I decided to get creative and combine two of my previous favourite starters to make the ultimate vegan starter: Bruschetta with garlic oil in lieu of pesto, with a salad garnish and pomodoro sauce (usually served with the Mozzarella in Carrozza). Combining my two favourite starters was a great shout because it was yummy!
For my main course, I went a bit more mainstream and ordered ‘The Vegetarian’ pizza without cheese but with extra mushrooms and red onions (my two favourite pizza toppings). Although I enjoyed it, the pizza was nowhere near as good as my starter so I think next time I visit Prezzo I will be ordering two vegan Bruschettas!
Despite Prezzo’s website blunder, it turns out they have some great vegan options so it’s definitely worth asking in the restaurant what they can whip up for you! If it’s anywhere near as good as my Bruschetta, I’m sure you’ll be a happy bunny!
jadegreenvegan.com 