Tag Archives: winter

Vegan Alternatives to Warm Fabrics

Loading

Living in Canada means I get the fun of dealing with 4-feet snow banks and -40C temperatures. Unfortunately, humans aren’t born with a layer of heated skin, so we have to find other ways to keep ourselves warm during winter. The most usual being winter clothes. Jackets, boots, gloves, hats, scarves, etc.

Also unfortunately, most of the go-to fabrics for winter clothing aren’t vegan friendly. Wool, down, fur – even silk! This makes it hard to find vegan-friendly winter clothes for new and veteran vegans alike.

Fortunately though, we’re living in the future!

This means with a little bit of research, you can find suitable winter clothes that will keep you nice and toasty – without compromising your ethics.

 

Thinsulate

This fabric is a synthetic, waterproof and durable cold weather textile. I’ve seen this stuff being used the most as an alternative to the down lining in winter jackets, but I bet with a bit of searching you could find it available for other clothing items, as well.

It also used to be much harder to find than it is nowadays, which is great news for vegans!

 

Cotton

Yes, this simple, well-known fabric has many uses – including being a great alternative to wool for winter!

While cotton isn’t water-proof, it does a great job of keeping you warm in the colder months. It’s also soft and breathable, which is a must when you’re layering ten fabrics together!

Another great thing about cotton? It’s super easy to blend it with other fabrics!

Looking for a clothing item that’s a mix of cotton and something else will give your innerds the best chance at staying warm and dry.

 

Polyester, Nylon and Acrylic

These materials are another synthetic alternative. While they’re some of the most widely-available fabrics, I’ll leave it up to you on whether or not you want to shoulder the environmental responsibility.

That said, keep in mind that buying a clothing item that contains one or more of these fabrics is still ethically better than one of the usual winter go-tos.

 

Bamboo

Not just for toilet paper – bamboo is another versatile material that’s breaking into the winter clothing market!

Bamboo clothes can be some of the softest, most comfortable pieces you’ll ever wear. It also has antifungal and odour resistant properties, which makes it a great option for doing activities such as shovelling snow.

One downside to bamboo is that it’s not the warmest option available. So you might want to skip wearing it on the coldest day of the year.

 

Wildflowers

Yes, that’s right! While this might be a harder alternative to find than some of the others I’ve mentioned, there are companies out there using wildflowers as an alternative stuffing option to down!

 

I don’t imagine you’d be able to find these clothing items at ‘normal’ retailers such as Old Navy, but they shouldn’t be too hard to find on a dedicated vegan clothing website.

I’ve also heard of a few companies using materials like coconut or soybean fiber, but like wildflowers, I don’t think those pieces are as widely available as some of the others I mentioned.

Some winter coats also have detachable fur lining on their hoods, so if you’re really in a pinch – and the rest of the materials used in the jacket are alright – you can always zip it off and donate it.

While there’s not too many widely available vegan materials for winter clothes, there’s definitely enough you should be able to find what you need to make it through.

And if you don’t… well you can have a 5 month house party!


Like this article? Check out more about veganism here!

Habitant Garden Style Vegetable Soup Review

Loading

In keeping with the cold-outside/winter is coming weather, I decided I’d go ahead and do a review of a classic cold weather food: soup!

If you saw my Surprising Vegan Soup collage, then you’ll hopefully have stocked up on some delicious soup to keep you going long after the holidays are over.

This is also going to be the last Product Review of 2018! (They will continue to go up on the 13th of every month)

Okay, without further ado, here’s the Habitant Garden Style Vegetable soup review.

AterImber.com - The Veg Life - Product Reviews - Habitant Garden Style Vegetable Soup - vegan, food review

The first thing I want to address is how f*cking big of a can of soup this is. Seriously. They’re 796ml – that’s easily enough for two bowls of soup. (Maybe even three) Why does Habitant only make such giant cans of soup? They’re usually located on the bottom-er shelves in the soup aisle because they’re so friggin’ big. I don’t know why exactly they make cans of soup for giants, but I’m 100% here for it. I like that this can offers a lot of soup, especially because it’s pretty cheap. You get a lot of soup-per-dollar.

One thing I don’t like about this soup isn’t even related to taste – it’s that there’s no tab on the top to open it. Look, I understand that not every can needs a pull open tab, but (especially because the can is so big) having the tab on the top would make it much easier to open without taking the entire top off, so you can close the lid back down and save it for later, instead of having to pour it out into a container. It’s not that big of a deal – I remember back before those easy-open tabs weren’t even a thing – it’s just something to keep in mind.

In terms of cooking, it’s really easy. Just open, heat on a stove (or in the microwave if you do that sort of thing) and serve. Very simple process. Even people who can’t cook can do it. This also bodes well if you’re really sick and would like something easy and fast to make, so… two birds?

Now, for the actual taste, it’s… soup. If you read my Amy’s Alphabet soup review, you’ll know that I’m not really that big of a fan of soup – I don’t know what it is, I just prefer my meals to be solid.

I don’t hate soup, I just would rather eat say… a sandwich instead. Soup is weird though, you’ve gotta admit that. It’s closer to a beverage then a meal. They should start selling soups in juice containers. That would also make it easier to save some of them for later, so there you go. Take note Soup World.

I don’t want to knock this soup – especially because it’s one of the few that aren’t marketed as being vegan that we can eat – but there’s honestly not too much to it. It tastes exactly how you would expect it to: like vegetables in some broth. It’s not overly salty like I’ve had in some other soups, and it doesn’t taste too watery either. It’s well balanced in terms of it’s flavours, and it has little grains of I think rice (or really tiny pasta shapes) in it as well. That helps fill you up better then soups that don’t have pasta/rice in them, in my opinion.

Other then that, I don’t really have too much to say about this product. It has vegetables in it (so it’s good for you!), is very easy to make, and comes in one of the biggest cans of soup I’ve ever seen. It’s a triple threat!

All in all, I’d recommend you check out/try this product. It won’t exactly blow you away with how amazing it is, but it doesn’t suck. And, especially if you have a hard time finding specifically labelled vegan products where you are, this can I’ve seen pretty much in every store I’ve been in. So it should also be easy to find.


Like the review? Check out more here!

Liking the site? Consider signing up for my Patreon, so I can continue bringing you the content you love!

Dandies All Natural Marshmallows Review

Loading

AterImber.com - The Veg Life - Product Reviews - Dandies All Natural Marshmallows - vegan, vegan food

These are on the harder side, in terms of mellow texture. They’re not like, rocks or anything, it’s just enough that if you eat regular mellows and then switch, you’ll definitely notice the difference. If you’ve ever had gummies from Squish, they’re like that – hard gummy consistency. But, if you throw them in a mug of hot chocolate, (perhaps, my favourite hot chocolate?) they’re just as squishy and gooey as you’d expect.

I’ll be honest, I haven’t made s’mores or baked with them, so I’m not sure on how they hold up in an oven, but the way they melt in a hot chocolate, I’d guess you wouldn’t have a problem with them.

AterImber.com - The Veg Life - Product Review - Castle Kitchen Hot Chocolate

Also, have you seen the minis? So cute! And the mascot? He looks like a Qbee!

Seriously, what’s not to love? The only two problems I’d say I have with this product is 1. They make a pumpkin flavoured one (gross!) and 2. Finding somewhere close to my house that sells them. They’re amazing, but if I had to go half-way across the city in -40 weather just to get some mellows? Sorry, Dandies, I’m not that addicted. (Now, if we were talking about Daiya blocks…)

Once you get used to the slight texture change (seriously, by your third one, you won’t even notice/remember), you’ll be glad you tried them. While I wouldn’t go so far to say they should be a Staple, they are definitely nice to have in the winter with some hot chocolate. One of those little pleasures that make winter less blah, y’know?

If you’re gonna use mellows for something, I definitely recommend getting these ones.

They’re little vanilla (slightly hard) pillows of heaven, in my book.

So, Dandies mellows: have you tried them? Do you like them? Do you have a different favourite brand of mellows? Let me know in the comments below!


Like the review? Check out more here!

Liking the site? Consider signing up for my Patreon, so I can continue bringing you the content you love!

Amy’s Kitchen Organic Alphabet Soup Review

Loading

I’d like to start this review off by saying that I’m not really that big of a soup fan. It’s weird to me: it’s a food, right? So why do we drink it? Who wants to drink their food? I can do that when I’m a hundred and my teeth are all gone. I want to chew my food. Stew is better, it’s chunky and chewable.

That being said, this soup is one of the few I actually like. Before going vegan, the only soup I’d eat was that Hearty Chicken can. And, while I don’t want to tell you to go out and try it, if you’re not vegan and are pondering soup choices…

Okay, anyway, on to Amy’s.

AterImber.com - The Veg Life - Vegan Food - Amy's Alphabet Soup

Amy’s Kitchen is not a fully vegan brand, so if you check them out, keep that in mind. I recommend checking out their website, they have these little sticker things that tell you if it’s vegan, gluten-free, low fat, etc. This soup is luckily vegan and is very good. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about food looking like non-food shapes (letters, animals, smiley fries, little triangle-shaped sandwiches, etc.) that makes it taste better. I don’t know, maybe it’s the kid in me, but I love food that looks like non-food. Who doesn’t love spelling things in their soup?

I will say, it’s not all that remarkable, it’s tomato soup with some pasta. Honestly, if you’ve ever had Alphaghetti you know what this tastes like. I recommend this product though because it’s vegan alphaghetti! I love finding vegan foods that are similar to the foods I used to eat before going vegan. I’m not trying to diss this soup or anything – it’s good, albeit having a smidge of an acidic taste (but given that it’s tomato soup, that shouldn’t be surprising)

The only two ‘problems’ with this product?

  1. It comes in a can, which means if they go on sale/you want to stock up for winter, it’ll be heavy to carry back to your house.
  2. There’s no real earth-shattering ‘holy sh*t’ moment when eating it. It won’t blow you away and make you double check the ingredients to make sure it’s vegan, it’s just kinda… soup.

It’s not really on par with VeganEgg or Field Roast Burgers, because it’s just soup in a can, y’know? It’s kinda hard to give that kind of product a glowing review. I mean, chances are if you like any soup in a can and/or tomatoes, you’ll like this. Not exactly one of those super-star vegan products that’s out now, but just because it’s not getting hyped to the moon doesn’t mean it isn’t good. I can’t just review all the hyped products – you need some staple-y foods too, right?

Bottom line, I like this. It’s great to have in the winter, is ridiculously easy to make, and it might just bring back some of those simpler childhood memories.

So, Amy’s Alphabet Soup, have you tried it? What did you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know! And, if you have any suggestions for future vegan products you’d like to see me review, leave it in a comment!


Like this review? Check out more here!

Liking the site? Consider signing up for my Patreon, so I can continue bringing you the content you love!

Surviving Canadian Winters

Loading

I decided to write this article because in my first year of going vegan, I Googled this very topic and guess what came up? Nothing. Well, not nothing nothing – there were some articles that were about ‘surviving winter’ but they didn’t do anything. Apparently, no vegans in Canada wanted to pass this oh-so-important wisdom down so I was basically on my own.

You may be wondering: why such worry about making it to the store? That’s a good question. Having to rely on public transit is not always the easiest during winter. Between the closures/detours due to weather and some routes not being driven altogether, you don’t really want to go through that on top of the freezing weather.

My top two suggestions for making these stock-up trips:

  1. Stretch multiple trips out over the fall months (Sept.-Nov.) and try to remember this has to last you until you’re able to walk outside again (around/after Feb.)
  2. Get these before it’s too cold to leave your house. Trust me, you really don’t want to go out in the middle of December when it’s -40C because you forgot bread.

So, for my fellow Canadian-vegans, when the snow banks are 4ft. tall and your door locks are frozen shut, fear not! I’m here to make those last trips to the store easier for you.

Obviously, you don’t need to get everything on this list. This is just a list of foods you may want to stock up on for the colder months. If nothing else, these should (hopefully) lessen your worry about getting through winter, even if they’re not exactly ‘essentials’. Also, who wants to get a hot chocolate craving only to find they’re out?

I recommend checking out my Vegan Staples list first, since that lists all the food essentials*, then come back here to see what else from this list you might want to stock up on.

Pantry

  • Hot Chocolate (I like Castle Kitchen’s Classic Caramel)
  • Marshmallows (Dandies)
  • Mr. Noodles (Mushroom and Vegetable)
  • Daiya Mac N Cheese (Alfredo Style, Cheddar, White Cheddar with Veggies)
  • Gravy (I like Road’s End Savoury Herb)
  • Mashed Potato Flakes (if you don’t/can’t lug a whole bag of potatoes home)
  • Kraft Peanut Butter with Chocolate (yes, it’s vegan, and it’s amazing)
  • Hummus/Salad Dressing/Some type of spread so you don’t eat dry sandwiches all winter
  • Shake N Bake/Bread Crumbs
  • VeganEgg
  • Winter Holiday baking supplies (cocoa powder, flour, sugar, egg replacer/applesauce, etc.)

Cans: (Check out my Surprising Vegan Soup post for more!)

  • Amy’s Alphabet Soup (my favourite!)
  • Amy’s Organic Vegetable Barley
  • Amy’s Fire Roasted Southerwestern Vegetable
  • Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable
  • Habitant Garden Style Vegetable Soup
  • Hunt’s Manwich Original Sloppy Joe

Snacks:

  • Chips
  • Pretzels
  • Crackers (Triscuits, Vegetable Thins, Ritz, Premium Plus)
  • Cookies
  • Popcorn Kernels (and ketchup powder!) or Skinny Pop
  • Chocolate (chips, bars)
  • Licorice (Twizzlers as a stir-stick in hot chocolate = amazing)

Freezer

  • Butter/Margrine 6 months
  • Seitan 1yr
  • Tofu** (can give it a ‘chewier’ texture, drain and place in Ziplock) 3-5 months
  • Daiya Products (cheese blocks/pizza) 6 months
  • Tofurky Products (sausages/deli slices/pizza/pizza pockets) 1yr
  • Gardein Products (7 Grain Crispy Tenders, Mandarin Orange Chick’N, Pizza Pockets, etc.) 6 months
  • Field Roast Products (burgers, sausages, deli slices, etc.) 1yr
  • Yves Products (pepperoni, deli slices, ground round) 1-3 months
  • Fries (smiley/crinkle/straight-cut)
  • Hash Browns
  • Taquitos (Starlight Beef are good)
  • Burritos (Amy’s Black Bean Vegetable and Bean and Rice are good)
  • Perogies
  • Tortillas (place parchment in between to prevent tearing) 6-8 months
  • Ice-cream (I know it’s gonna be cold, but some days…)

*I don’t yet have a non-food essentials list, but I’m working on it! I’ll be posting it hopefully sometime next year, but I’m hoping you don’t really need me to tell you to stock up on non-food essentials (toilet paper).

**Tofu may change from white to a yellow or amber colour. Don’t freak out, it’s still perfectly safe to eat. Let it thaw and cook as usual.

Keep in mind, that some of these items are heavy, so you might want to buy one of those shopping carts on wheels, or bring a luggage that has wheels on it with you and fill that up – instead of making eighty-seven little trips to the store. (But hey, if that’s your thing, you go right ahead).

As stated above, this isn’t really an essentials list, so don’t feel like you have to buy everything on here. This list isn’t a be-all, end-all of winter stock up foods. These are just (hopefully) enough to get you thinking in terms of, ‘What will I be craving three months from now when I’ve been stuck inside all day?’

Also, keep in mind that winter not only brings cold, but also holidays. So, you may need to add some holiday specific items to your list as well. Usually, I try to plan in advanced what I’ll be making, but I know that’s not always plausible.

If all else fails, you can always get groceries delivered.


Check out more Vegan Tips here!

Liking the site? Consider signing up for my Patreon, so I can continue bringing you the content you love!