Vegan Treats at Panacea in Toronto

Today, I had the entire day to myself - Paul is on overnight shifts and has to sleep during the day and I had this one random Tuesday off work. I decided to hop on a bus and treat myself to a day of walking, enjoying the sunshine, and doing some shopping in downtown Toronto.  While I did manage to get a little bit of Christmas shopping done (this will _not_ be posted on the blog at all as I don't want anyone to accidentally read about their own surprise Xmas presents!), one of my main goals was to finally visit Panacea, a completely Vegan shop near Bloor & Bathurst in Toronto.

Yes, this store is completely Vegan! No label reading is necessary here.  And the focus here, beyond veganism, is eco-friendly, ethical, natural, and organic products. I will happily always shop at places that seek out ethical products and this entire store is full of them! Next time I'm there, I'm going to take a closer look at their bath & body products.  Today, I wanted to find food and snacks that I wouldn't be able to find anywhere in my local grocery stores.

I wanted to post about the desserts and treats that I bought since my Vegan MoFo theme is Vegan Desserts!  I bought those three chocolate bars pictured above made by Go Max Go.  I've seen pictures of these chocolate bars online but hadn't seen them in person until today, so I'm super psyched to try them.  There were about six different kinds in the store, but I bought "Mahalo" (similar to a Bounty or Mounds bar), "Jokerz" (seems similar to Snickers), and "Snap!" (similar to Crunch). I am super pumped to try dairy-free versions of my favorite chocolate bars!  They look amazing!

I don't know when the last time was that I ate a marshmallow. I couldn't resist this variety sampler of Vegan marshmallows by Sweet & Sara.  They look all gooey and yummy.  They come in a variety of flavors:  Vanilla, Toasted Coconut, Strawberry, and Cinnamon Pecan. I think these are gonna get eaten pretty quickly.

I found them!  Vegan White Chocolate Chips!  I've been looking everywhere with no success, other than possibly ordering them online.  Thankfully, Panacea has them on their shelves.  I think my next baking recipe will have to involve these white chocolate chips in some way!

The day was a complete success all in all - I went to a few stores along Queen St., walked through Kensington Market (finally found kelp noodles for sale in an organic grocery store there! yay!), and treated myself to lunch at Fresh.  It was a beautiful and very hot day for October with the sun shining brightly, so it was perfect for enjoying some time outdoors. It might also seem silly to those who live in the city and take public transit everyday, but I also feel rather accomplished for having figured out the Go buses/trains and the subway system on my own for getting around town!