Fresh Veggies from the Milton Farmers Market

On Saturday, Paul and I went to the Milton Farmers Market in the town of Milton, Ontario. It is just a short drive away for us and it was definitely worth the trip. A section of Main Street is closed to traffic from 7am-12pm and that's where the vendors set up their stands. There was tons of fresh produce, freshly baked bread and an assortment of baked goods to be found!

We were searching mostly for organic veggies and we did find one certified organic stand amongst the bunch. We also found a vendor with items clearly marked "pesticide-free" and purchased some vegetables from them. I realize that not all farms, especially small ones, are officially certified organic, but may be taking steps towards not using pesticides or GMO seeds.

We came away with a whole assortment of goodies, including corn (used for Saturday night's dinner - corn on the cob - a true sign of summer!), broccoli, salad greens, bell peppers, garlic scapes (a whole huge bag for only a dollar!), onions, garlic, cherries, and plums. We also bought some vegan quesadillas (not pictured, and also prepared for dinner on Saturday night) and chipotle hummus from Sabros Latinos - a great little business that we often see at local markets that specializes in Latin American cuisine. They make the best vegan tamales, too!

I hope that we can go back every weekend to the market as I'd love to make it a new tradition - we've just gotta wake up early enough!

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!

Look What I Won at Whole Foods Market!

Last month, a brand new Whole Foods Market opened at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, and I was so excited to have a Whole Foods closer to home. I don't always shop there - sometimes I will shop at the local grocery store, sometimes I will shop at Farmers Markets (especially in the summertime), but I do love my Whole Foods. You really can't beat their selection and variety of different foods and they carry a lot of organic items as well. If there is an obscure ingredient that I'm looking for, chances are that Whole Foods carries it.

Around the time of their grand opening, I filled out a little slip of paper to enter a contest they were running.  Yesterday, I found out that I was one of their grand prize winners! So exciting! They told me that I won a gift basket and I could come and pick it up. I had no idea what I was going to win. When I got to the store, the cheerful girl at the customer service desk exclaimed, "Wow! You won the basket with the Magic Bullet!" I was stoked. I've always had my eye on the Magic Bullet but have never owned one.  Now, I am the proud owner of my very own Magic Bullet! Woo!

But wait, that's not all. I also won an assortment of goodies from Manitoba Harvest, makers of hemp products. In a beautiful woven basket, I also won two bags of hemp seeds (so healthy!), hemp milk in chocolate and vanilla (I tried this at the Vegetarian Food Fair last week but didn't get the chance to buy any!  Now I own some, yay!), two t-shirts (one for myself and one for Paul), and a tote bag (that I'm now using to transport snacks and food to work with me).

I don't recall the last time that I actually won anything, so receiving this lovely gift basket from Whole Foods was such an unexpected amazing surprise!