Meet the Team: Feiyah

Meet the newest member of the Wasteless Pantry team, Feiyah 🌈

Kaya, my name is Feiyah (she/they)!

I’m a Hills local and I’ve been working mostly at the Mundaring store since May, however, I’ve been popping up more recently at Bassendean, too.

One of the main reasons I joined the team was to enjoy a wholesome work environment that brings together my passions for slow, sustainable living with the beautiful smells, textures, and flavours of the shop!

When I’m not refilling legumes and spices, I’m pottering about my bush abode crafting with yarn, sourdough, ferments, compost, medicinal herbs, veggies, weaving, and earth remedies. I come from a lineage of healers and herbalists, and am forever a student of these ancient-rooted teachers, especially when it comes to supporting bodies through healthy menstruation, pregnancy, and postpartum. I’m devoted to the primal, animate wisdom of our bodies and I work with somatic, earth-based practices to support people through rites of passage.

Some of my favourite products in the store (because I can’t choose just one!) are the shea butter, cacao butter and vitamin E oil. I’ve been making herbal tinctures, balms, oils, body butters, scrubs, deodorants, lip balms and more, for my household and loved ones. There’s just nothing quite like the immersive process of creating healing tonics infused with medicinal properties, with your own loving hands, that benefit your body and the body of the earth.

So if you ever see me in one of the stores, go ahead and share your crafty passions with me, or ask me questions about creating your own remedies. I absolutely love having yarns about these things!

🍯

My ultimate tip for reducing waste is to start experimenting with making your own. What are things you LOVE, that with time and presence, you could be whipping out of your own kitchen/garden/craft basket?

Start off with just one idea, give it just one afternoon, and see how it nourishes and enlivens you in return. 😌


Turmeric Latte Recipe

Ingredients:

-1 cup almond or oat milk

-1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

-1 teaspoon raw honey or maple syrup

-Pinch of black pepper

-Optional sprinkle of ground cardamom

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat almond milk over medium heat.

2. Once the milk is hot, add in turmeric powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Allow the mixture to simmer (but not boil) for 3-5 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the mixture into a mug.

5. Stir in the honey or maple syrup to sweeten.

6. Enjoy your turmeric latte!


Sticky Chai Recipe

Spice up your day the sticky way! 🍂☕

Stir up some magic with our chai blend, or make your own delicious sticky chai with the recipe below!

This recipe is a hug in a mug waiting to happen. Get ready to sip, savor, and spread the chai love – one sip at a time! ✨💕

#ChaiCheers #SipSustainably #StickyChaiMagic

Ingredients:

– 8 Cardamom pods

– 4 sticks Cinnamon broken into pieces

– 4 Star Anise

– 3 Cloves

– 1 tsp Fennel Seeds

– 1 Vanilla Bean split and cut into 2cm pieces

– 1/2 cup Loose Black Tea Leaves (try our Nerada)

– 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut

– 1/4 tsp Nutmeg finely grated

– 1 tbsp Ginger Kibble

– 1/4 cup Honey (lightly warmed)

– 1 tbsp Lemon Juice

Instructions:

– Pound the spices in a mortar and pestle, or pulse in a blender.

– Place the spice mixture in a bowl and add the tea, coconut, nutmeg and ginger, and mix to combine.

– Lastly, add the warmed honey and lemon juice and mix well to combine. Place in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Add 1 heaped tsp per mug in boiled water, steep for 5 min and add your favourite milk!

This sticky chai blend can be stored in the fridge for up to a month, and is a delight to share with friends as an alternative to coffee!


Pistachio Apricot Cookies

Ingredients:

– 1½ cup almond meal

– ¼ cup coconut flour

– 2tbsp monk fruit powder

– ⅛ tsp baking soda

– ⅛ tsp salt

– 1 large egg, beaten

– ½ tsp vanilla extract

– ¼ cup honey

– ¼ cup melted coconut oil

– ¼ cup shelled, salted, finely chopped pistachios

– ½ cup diced, dried apricot

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C & line a baking pan with a reusable baking sheet

2. Add the flours, sugar, salt & baking soda to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork or whisk and stir gently until combined

3. In a separate, heat proof bowl, pour the warm melted coconut oil over the honey. This will soften the honey and make it easier to work with

4. Stir briefly to cool it down slightly, then add the oil/honey mixture, egg & vanilla to the dry ingredients

5. Use an electric mixer & make sure all ingredients are well combined, then fold in pistachios & apricots

6. Scoop 2-Tablespoon portions of dough & press firmly into a ball. Press down slightly into a thick disc and repeat with the rest of the dough, placing them 1 inch apart

7. Bake 13-15 minutes, until golden brown around the base. They will still be very soft

8. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes on the cookie sheet, where they will firm up a bit, before transferring to a rack to cool completely

9. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to three months


Medication Blister Pack Recycling

Did you know that we are a collection point for Blister Pack Recycling?

Blister packs are a type of packaging made from a combination of plastic and aluminum, making them tricky to recycle; however, with a little effort they can be recycled through specialist recycling programs and given a new life.

Blister pack recycling helps to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfill by ensuring that the plastic is recycled into new products. This helps to reduce the amount of plastic that pollutes the environment and can be harmful to animals and ecosystems. Additionally, recycling helps to conserve resources and reduce the amount of energy needed to produce new products from raw materials. Finally, recycling blister packs can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as producing new products from recycled materials requires fewer resources and produces fewer pollutants.

You can recycle any brand of empty medicinal blister packs but do not bring in blister packs containing medicine. Unused medication can be taken to your local Pharmacy for correct disposal. Outer cardboard packaging can be recycled in your kerbside recycling bin.

Once collected, the material packaging is broken down and separated. Plastics are cleaned and recycled into new products, while the metal is smelted and converted to new alloys.

This service is free to our loyal members and for a gold coin donation to the general community. Available at Mundaring and coming soon to Bassendean!

Want to know what else you can recycle through WP?

Check out our Specialist Recycling page!

We’re passionate about providing sustainable solutions to help reduce waste, so why not join us in making a difference and recycling your empty medicinal blister packs today?


Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Easter baking with goodies from your local bulk food store? How about trying out this recipe!

INGREDIENTS

– Gluten-Free Banana Bread Mix 500g

– Mixed Spice 2.5tbsp

– Cinnamon 1tbsp

– Vanilla extract 5g (1 tsp)

– Nutmeg 2tsp

– Grated Carrot 200g

– 3 Eggs (or 3 Tbsp flaxseed meal in 6 Tbsp water for vegan)

– Maple syrup 1tbsp

– Oil 1tbsp

– Milk of choice 1cup (if the batter is too thick add a little more)

(The picture is double the recipe)

METHOD

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl. Using a beater, mix on low speed for 1 minute.

2. Scrape down and mix for a further 4 minutes on low speed. Pop into a greased loaf or slice pan.

3. Bake at 170°C for approximately 55 – 65 minutes.


Mixed Peel, Ginger & Carrot Muffins

Mixed Peel is such a handy ingredient & can be added to so many treats 👩‍🍳

Grab what you need from WP of these:

– 1 cup wholemeal flour

– 1 cup self-raising flour

– 1tbsp baking powder

– ½tsp ground ginger

– ½ cup brown sugar

– ¼ cup mixed peel

– ¼ cup raisin

And these elsewhere:

– 1 cup carrots

– 2 eggs (or 2 tsp of flaxseed meal in 4 Tbsp of water)

– ¾ cup milk (dairy or plant based)

– 50g melted butter (or canola oil)

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C & line a muffin tray with silicone muffin cups

2. First mix together flours, baking powder, ginger & sugar. After mix together peel, raisin & carrot.

3. Whisk together eggs, milk & butter

4. Make a well in the dry mix & pour in the wet mix, stir until combined. Don’t over mix.

5. Pour batter in prepared muffin tins until 3/4 full & bake for 18-20 minutes

6. Once cooled set them aside to cool then enjoy 😋


Vegan friendly dairy free Parmesan Cheese 🧀

Ingredients

– ½ cup Almond meal

– 3tbsp nutritional yeast

– ½tsp onion powder

– ¼tsp garlic powder

– ½tsp salt

– A pinch of smokey paprika

– ½-1tsp lime or lemon (optional)

Method

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir together

2. For a tangy. touch add the lemon/lime

3. Adjust seasonings as you like to your personal taste

4. Voila it’s ready to be added to dishes 😋


Waste Free Halloween

package free grocery store halloween tips
If you are getting into the Halloween spirit, there are ways to do it with less waste with tips from our package-free grocery store…

* Find or make a Halloween-themed trick-or-treat bag that can be reused every year. Try to make it hardy enough to pop into the wash at the end of the celebrations. Similarly, feel free to get creative or keep it simple depending on your skill and energy levels.
* Buy secondhand, borrow, create your own, or check out your Buy Nothing pages rather than purchasing new costumes and decorations each year. Or keep reusing the same ones and see how long you can get out of them! You could even swap with others so that everyone gets a turn at being the best wicked witch in the land.
* Then give out plastic-free unpackaged lollies that you bought from Wasteless Pantry your local package-free grocery store. You can create your own mix of favourites including horrific lolly snakes. Additionally, pop them in your favourite Halloween-themed bowl and use tongs to dispense them for hygiene.
* Make your own scary cookies instead of lollies to mix it up. Check out our recipe.

By role-modeling waste-free options you are helping your community celebrate and spreading the message that plastic-free Halloween events are possible. Imagine if you inspired someone to do it a little better next year too. As well as showing the next generation how it’s done well! Bring on the new normal of using less plastic and making the most of our resources.

Gluten-Free, Muesli Hedgehog Slice

gluten free bulk wholefoods muesli slice

Imagine biting into a delicious hedgehog slice made with gluten free bulk wholefoods with no packaging waste! That’s what you have to look forward to if you make this recipe with ingredients you buy from Wasteless Pantry, either refilled in-store or delivered to your home when ordered online. Above all, our zero waste bulk food stores make it easy peasy to go plastic free, therefore, no need for single-use packaging to eat well! In other words, Wasteless Pantry is your go to for trying out recipes just like this. After you’ve tried this one, you can always check out our blog for inspiration and other recipes made from gluten free bulk wholefoods. We certainly hope you enjoy it!

Makes: 16 bars

Ingredients from WP:

– ¼ cup organic coconut cream (made from our powder)

– 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

– 2 cups Gluten-Free Muesli (a few options in the store)

– ½ cup desiccated coconut, plus 2 tbsp extra

– ¼ cup shelled salted pistachios

Extra pistachios, cranberries & macadamias, to top

Method

1. Line a square 20cm slice tin with a reusable baking liner

2. Bring the coconut cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat & add the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is glossy & melted.

3. Place the Gluten-Free Muesli, ½ cup desiccated coconut & pistachios in a large bowl, mixing well

4. Add ½ the melted chocolate & stir to combine.

5. Spoon the mixture over the base of the tin, pressing gently into the corners.

6. Combine the remaining desiccated coconut & melted chocolate, then pour over the slice and spread evenly.

7. Top with extra pistachios, cranberries & macadamias.

8. Refrigerate overnight or until firm then turn onto a board & cut into 16 squares