Cruelty free hair?

Over the past few years I've slowly tried to cut out animal-tested (and preferable animal-igredient) products such as shampoos, cleaners etc. Luckily it's getting easier all the time to find these kinds of products at common stores, and not too expensive. And once you know what to buy, and where, you never have to think about it again.

I've added a photo album to the right, showing the labels of some of these products--ones that I've found at the local pharmacy or grocery store or Zellers. I'll add to it when I can.

One of the main sources for hair products is Belvedere International. Today I bought a ginormous bottle of Down Under Natural's shampoo for just under $6, at Maxi. Their stuff is labeled "never tested on animals" and here is the response one vegan got when emailing the company:

hank you for taking the time to contact us, and for your concerns on
Animal Testing.
None of Belvedere International Inc. products are tested on animals, nor
do we contract this testing out.
Also, the ingredients used (as confirmed by our suppliers) are not
tested on animals either.
Hope this information is helpful.

Yours truly,
Patty Turnbull
Consumer Relations Dept.
Belvedere International Inc.
July 24, 2006

Drug Store Health Food

I never understood why women I knew got excited about drug stores, until I realized it must be people who buy makeup and beauty products.

But I'm starting to warm to my Pharmaprix. Shopper's Drug Mart (Pharmaprix in Quebec) has introduced a line of affordable organic foods. The cookies happen to be vegan. Yay! And made with can sugar. Yay! And they are SO good. I've tried the graham teddies and the chocolate chip, but I'm open to checking out other things.

I also took a close look at the groceries in Zellers, and realized they carry some things I can't find elsewhere, like stuffed grapevines and whole wheat fettuccine noodles.

orzo salad

I love this orzo and bean salad from Maxi grocery store. This is what I often buy for supper at work. Full of garlicky goodness.

cheesy me

Did I mention that the bulk food store down the hill now carries almost all my faves, that I used to have to trek to the Health Tree for? So now I go once every two weeks, and now the staff know me... the shy girl with the super biceps, Little Stephen who used to work at Chapters, and the Lady Whose Been There Forever.

So I buy piroghis at Metro (so hard to get around here, unlike in Edmonton where it's all about the Ukraine Heritage) and eat with my Tofutti sour cream! And I buy Tofutti cream cheese!

And Earth Balance margarine for baking!


And I buy Earth Island cheeeeeeeze!!!!

product: great fake chicken

Metro now carries this line: itsallgood fake chicken and beef.

Many fake meats aren't vegan, so I'm stuck with Yves, which aren't great. These ones are more expensive, but come with a sauce (like in the picture above), so you can just put with veggies and rice, and serve.

I've only tried a couple of the chicken ones, and both Husband and I liked. I haven't dared the beef yet.

products: sundae

My favourite naughty vegan sundae:

Vanilla soy ice cream, spanish peanuts with the skins, and Reese's hard shell syrup. And sometimes I put wheat germ, but that's just a weird childhood thing.

Oh no I was watching the Simpsons and missing Victoria Beckham's reality show!

Product: potato chips

We all know the pasty Lays baked chips. They're okay. But Papillon carries these kettled baked chippies that are actual potatoes instead of reconstituted, so they're a nice alternative.

product: tofu (marinated)

MEAT: well tofu actually @ 01:44 am

Source: Maxi's, Loblaw's

President's Choice Marinated Teriyaki Tofu: I decided to take a chance and buy. I chopped it into small pieces and fried it in its own juices, to get the sides all brownee. It was actually very good, and Fernando agreed. I served it mixed up with Lipton sidekick noodles, and vegetables, but I assume rice and soy sauce would be good... if you like that sort of thing.

product: margarine

MARGARINE @ 01:50 am

Earth Balance "Soy Garden" buttery spread
Source: Papillon, Health Tree

The ingredients aren't that different from cheapee non-milk, non-hyrog margarines. But it's harder, more like butter. This would be a better ingredient for making a dessert that has to harden through refridgeration (rather than baking), like peanut butter squares. Mmmm peanut butter squares.

President's Choice has a non-lactose brand, non-hyrog, good for cooking etc.
Source: Maxi's (and I assume Loblaw's)

Fleischmann's, for baking
Source: some Maxi's, Loblaw's
(Non-hyrog. There's also one that's not good for baking, which may be less processed.)

product: noodles

NOODLES @ 02:22 am

Source: anywhere

Lipton Sidekick Thai Noodles: When you're lazy you like premade packets--I add extra rice or noodles so they're not so thick, then throw in beans and veggies, and I've got a meal.

But most packets have some milk product or another in them. This noodley, plus the curry one, do not.

product: ground beef

June 4th, 2006

MEAT: ground beef @ 02:03 pm

Source: Health Tree

Sol ground beef



I find Yves ground beef, which is the easiest to find in grocery stores, really blah. I tried Sol to see if it's better--it was, like, moderately better. Saltier. But not enough that I'd make a special trip to the Health Tree for it.

(I had it on nachos, with the fake cheese and salsa.)

products: chocolate bars

July 8th, 2006

CHOCOLATE BARS @ 02:12 am

You can't buy just any ole chocolate bar when vegan... which is a good thing, really. Then when you do want chocolate, they cost more - another preventative measure.

The funny thing is I end up eating flavours I never would have.

* Dr Oz has been touting the benefits of dark chocolate (which means at least 70%), so if you're going to treat yourself but are trying to be All Healthy, go for this. Because he's on Oprah, his influence can be felt in grocery stores big time--there's dark chocolate everywhere. And the real stuff doesn't add milk products.

If it's too bitter for you, I would recommend melting down and re-forming with craisins. Mm.

Here are the few random vegan chocolate bars:

RITTER SPORT
- marzipan flavour
- mint flavour

COTE D'OR
- vanilla flavour

GREEN & BLACKS
- cherry and dark chocolate

This last one is actually REALLY excellent. Smoooth.

products: milk

MILK @ 04:02 pm

Source: everywhere!

TScones' Milk Recommendations:

For cereal: rice milk - it's fairly tasteless, and less thick than soy milk - putting soy milk on cereal feels like putting clotted cream, not my thing. I used to drink skim.

The cheap brands taste just as good as Rice Dream, so don't pay the extra money.



Everything else: for baking, or mashed potatoes, or smoothies, or whatever - use soy milk. I like Natura the best simply because it's the cheapest. They also have a lot of variety, such as sugar free, or low fat.

As for flavours, I don't recommend the chocolate soy milk, but the strawberry is yummy. I make my own chocolate milk: spoon of cocoa powder in a little hot water - dissolve it - add the soy milk (and some cold water, if you want less fat and sugar).



I buy Natura or Presiden't Choice because they're cheap, and can be stored in the cupboard for a long-o time-o. I won't pay over 1.99 for soy or rice milk.

Some prefer Silk, particularly their refrigerated line. But all the other companies have fridge lines now. I don't know what the diff is--the PC brand appears to be fortified.

I've never had a problem with rice or soy milk spoiling, even when I have it open for over a week. But my fridge is really cold.

TIP: Bob Greene says the reason to shake soy milk isn't just because stuff settles, but because the added vitamins don't bond well with soy, and will stick on the sides of the container.

product: fake chicken

MEAT: chicken @ 04:07 pm

Source: Loblaws, Maxi

Yves has two kinds of Veggie Tenders - beef and chicken. The beef is not great, but the chicken is quite nice. Sometimes I just dip them in pineapple sauce and eat them as such. Or they taste good in wraps.

product: carrot cake

CAKE: carrot @ 04:13 pm

Source: Health Tree

Oh Lord... the Health Tree has started carrying a line from a bakery in Toronto called Sweets of the Earth. I bought the carrot cake, cause I haven't had carrot cake in YEARS, and holy crap... it's incredible. Right down to the vegan cream cheese on top.

product: cookies

August 15th, 2006

COOKIES: chocolate @ 04:46 pm

Source: Health Tree

These are my favourite vegan cookies from the Health Tree: Biscuits Délice Choco. They're moist and not too sweet.



A few other vegan-by-accident cookies (unless you don't eat bone char-ee sugar):

(Oreos: regular and mint.)

product: lentil soup NOT

August 24th, 2006

SOUP @ 10:54 pm

Tags: product

My first UN-RECOMMENDATION.

Do not bother with Commensal lentil curry soup (at Maxi and Lobl). It was bland bland bland.

product: feta cheese

CHEESE: feta @ 01:59 pm

Source: Loblaw's

I tried Unisoya feta cheese for the first time. I wondered if it would be good in lasagna, but was too lazy to make lasagna. So I made pasta instead, and crumbled it into the sauce. Definitely tasted like I had a ton of cheese in there - something salty, like Parmesan. Next time I shall be brave and try it in a salad or something. Anyway, it's so cheap, it's worth trying. But man, the packaging is ugly!

NOTE: I have since tried it, grated, on pizza--and it was great.

But man... that is the least appetizing packaging on Earth.

product: ice cream cone

October 9th, 2006

ICE CREAM: vanilla cones @ 02:55 pm

Source: Metro

HelLO look who just walked into my life!




What do I need to say? These are great. And the ice cream is nice and soft.

product: Christmas drinks

MILK: Egg Nog @ 02:15 pm

Source: Papillon

I used to buy a particular brand of soy nog - I can't remember the name/brand. It comes in a yellow carton with a green wreath on the front, sold at Metro. The first year I bought it, I thought it was incredible--I bought as much as the store would carry. Then one year I hit this really bad batch. I mean, it was DISGUSTING. Something had gone wrong in a large batch, I guess--it was watery, with big gloopy bits, and this horrible metallic aftertaste. Brrr. Clearly some quality control issues. What annoyed me more was that I emailed them about it, and I never received a reply. Last year I bought just a couple containers, but I was so suspicious of it, I could hardly drink them. I swore I could still taste that weird aftertaste.

This year I'm not going to buy any--I had thought, if anything, I'd buy my own. But I was at Papillon yesterday and they have soy nog from Vitasoy, as well as peppermint chocolate milk. They both taste quite nice. The soy nog isn't very thick, but at least it doesn't have any weirdness to it. The peppermint chocolate is good heated up.