DIY Air Freshener

A super easy and affordable way to make a zero waste air freshener is by:

Add together 3/4 cup of water, 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and 10-15 drops of your favourite essential oil.

Add the ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well.

Easy peasy and smells so good!

Warm Apple Cinnamon Porridge: A Healthy Winter Breakfast Recipe

Warm up your winter mornings with a hearty and delicious Apple Cinnamon Porridge, a perfect blend of nutritious ingredients. This simple yet flavorful recipe combines rolled oats, fresh apple, chia seeds, and a mix of cinnamon and ginger, cooked gently in your choice of milk and sweetened with maple syrup. Serve it hot with a topping of apple slices, cranberries, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a cozy breakfast. Customize with your favorite toppings for a personal touch. This porridge is not only a treat to your taste buds but also a healthy start to your day.

Ingredients

1/3 cup rolled oats

1 large apple (peeled & chopped)

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1 to 1 1/2 cups of milk (dairy or nut)

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

In a medium sizes saucepan over medium heat, mix all the ingredients until well combined.

Cook over medium heat for 9-15 mins, stirring often.

When the mixture thickens and the oats soften it is ready!

Serve with your favourite toppings.

I love apple and cranberries with a sprinkle of cinnamon

Perfect Pancakes

Everyday should start with fluffy pancakes made with ingredients from Wasteless Pantry, your local plastic free store!

Whether you are gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, or egg-free, this recipe can be adapted easily. Any which way you make it, it will be delicious! Even more so because when you shop at a plastic free store there is no waste. For this reason there are no packets to throw away, not even anything to recycle. You can refill your containers over and over again.

Plus, plastic free shopping is just more fun! You’re not bombarded with too many choices. As there is usually only one type of the item, say baking powder, so you just have to decide how much you want. Weighing your containers is a breeze with our dedicated weigh stations. Meaning that when you get home, everything can go straight into the cupboard without having to be decanted.

The recipe…

1 cup of plain flour (gluten free or regular)

1 tsp of baking powder (or you can use 1 cup of SR flour)

250ml or 1 cup of milk (plant based or dairy)

An egg or 1 banana

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 to 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Once well combined add in the wet ingredients and beat until smooth.

Then spoon into a fry pan and flip when bubbles form.

You can even add some ground ginger, nutmeg or all spice!

All the ingredients you need are available at your nearest Wasteless Pantry zero-waste, plastic-free, bulk food store.

After this are you keen for another delicious breakfast recipe? Check out our Chia Puddings recipes.

Gluten-Free Pizza Base Recipe

One of our team members, Rachael, has been using this recipe for a few months and is really happy with the results!

This recipe makes 2 large pizzas, easily doubles for more dough.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp dry
active yeast
1 1/4 cup
warm water (divided)
1-2 Tbsp
sugar (divided)
3 cups
gluten-free plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp
baking powder
1 Tbsp olive
oil
1 Tbsp
Xanthum gum (optional for chewier base)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 180C. In a small bowl, combine yeast and
3/4 cup warm water. Leave to activate for 5 mins. Sprinkle in 1 Tbsp of the
sugar a few mins in. 
In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and
remaining sugar. Whisk until well combined.
Make a well in the dry mixture and add yeast mixture,
olive oil and additional 1/2 cup warm water. Combine well.
Knead dough on a floured surface until no longer sticky.
Divide, place both hunks onto reusable baking liner on
pizza tray. Use hands to work dough from the middle to the edges or roll it
pretty thin with rolling pin/empty jar.
Pre-bake the crust for 20 minutes or until it looks dry.
Remove from oven. The crust will be surprisingly hard at
this stage. Cracks are normal and totally ok. Spread generously with sauce and
desired toppings. Pop back in oven for another 15-20 minutes.

Lentil Soup

Soup weather is here so we thought a winter warmer recipe would be perfect, plus this recipe is super easy and tasty!

Ingredients
1-2 tbsp Olive oil
2 cups diced onions
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
plus these from Wasteless Pantry:

2 tsp garlic granules (or 2 fresh cloves)
1 cup of soup mix (mix of lentils, split peas and barley) or split peas
36g dried chicken or vegetable stock plus 2L water (or 8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock)
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Method
In a large saucepan, heat oil and cook onion, carrot, celery and garlic over medium heat until softened. Stir in soup mix or split peas, stock and the bay leaf.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2.5 hours, stirring frequently.
Puree warm soup with a blender. Serve with crusty bread and garnish with some parsley and cream on top 😄

8 Food Waste Hacks

It turns out that we,
in Australia, throw out vast amounts of food every week. Some estimates indicate
that over a year, the average household discards $2200 worth of food!

We do it because we
overestimate how much we need, underestimate how much we already have, serve
more than our families will eat, and forget about all those leftovers we have
hiding away somewhere.

There are easy
solutions that can help you reduce your waste and they only take a moment…

Take a moment to clear out your fridge, freezer and pantry. If you haven’t done it in a while, challenge yourself to stay away from the shops until they are at least ¼ empty. Why? If your storage is too full of food, you won’t know what is in there and will likely double up when you hit the shops.
Set up a compost bin system. It’s just a bucket or a container that you put your scraps in. All of them. Yes, even the stinky stuff you found in the back of the fridge yesterday. You store it in the kitchen that you then take outside to a compost bin (plenty available secondhand on Gum Tree) or bury in your garden later. Why? Getting up close and personal with your waste helps you to get to know WHAT you are wasting and HOW MUCH. Maybe you find out that the kids are throwing away whole sandwiches – so maybe you can stop feeding them for a while (I’m joking, of course). Or maybe you find out that it is always leftovers – so maybe you dedicate space at the front of the fridge, so they are easier to find or pop them straight into the freezer next time.
Get your head clear on Used By vs Best Before. Things that you buy at Wasteless Pantry have a best before – such as rice, pasta, spices – which means that even after this date if they have been stored properly, they will not harm your health to eat. They just might not be as flavoursome as they used to be. Whereas things that are past their Used By date can be a health hazard and should be composted to be safe.
Develop an autopilot response ‘No, thanks’ to “Specials”. Unless you are 100% certain that you will use the item before it goes bad, then take a deep breath and walk away.
Label your leftovers. Permanent markers wash off most containers so just write the date and name straight on there before it goes in the fridge or freezer. If you know what it is and how old it is, you’ll have a better chance of making sure they get eaten.
Think about the leftovers before you start cooking the meal. Does this meal freeze well? If it doesn’t, how long will we have to get through any leftovers before they go off because almost always there are leftovers! If it’s likely to go to waste, then be more thoughtful about portion control upfront.
Speaking of portion control – serve less and encourage going back for seconds, especially with kids. Even if it is uneaten on the plate, most families are unlikely to save excess food that gets served so don’t serve it. Your kids won’t starve, most likely.
Shop weekly, instead of daily. We all know the feeling of popping to the shops for one thing and coming home with at least a bag full. So instead, plan your shopping for once a week and challenge yourself not to go back until next week. We’ve even put together a handy tool to help you with this one. This way you can remember what you already have, what you’re planning to make as well as what you need to get. Easy!

Weekly Menu Plan PDF

Meet the Team: Amanda from Mundaring

My name is Amanda and I mainly work at Wasteless Pantry Mundaring, although I roam around to all 3 stores.

Can you believe I’ve been working on Wasteless Pantry with Jeannie for 6 years now!

I play netball and love working in my edible garden. I’m pretty keen on technology but still love getting outdoors as much as we can for BBQs, hikes and camping. I also play the flute and am trying to teach myself the piano.

It’s really hard to pin down a favourite WP product, but I think it would have to be the produce bags. Such a simple change to make but it always makes me feel good to whip them out when I go shopping.

My favourite snack at work is the licorice pieces, hits the spot everytime!

My waste free tip is to change one thing until it becomes a habit before you try doing more. If you look in your bin and just pick one easy thing to avoid next time, you’ll bank so many small wins that it will be a fun journey. I think the thing people forget is that reducing your waste isn’t about denying yourself enjoyment in life, it is just doing things a little differently. Different can be fun too!

Apple Cranberry Nut Loaf

This deliciously healthy loaf is great for afternoon tea or even a breakfast on the go!

125g butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup castor sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 cup each crushed macadamias, crushed walnuts, craisins (dried cranberries) & pepitas
2 granny smith apples (grated with skin on)

1. Preheat oven to 160C & grease 22 cm loaf tin.
2. Cream butter and sugars till pale. Add eggs, one
at a time, beating well between each.
3. Mix in flour, mixed spice, salt, milk & apple. 4. Fold in nuts, seeds and cranberries.
5. Place in loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let stand in tin for 5 minutes before turning out on to wire rack to cool.
* This cake freezes very well; make two and freeze one for later to reduce oven use.

Shop for You Made Easy

We’ve been providing a free Shop for You service since we opened oh so long ago, but with recent times this has become more of a necessity than before. To help you understand what we offer and to streamline the process as much as possible we thought we should make it a nice clear process for you.
Below you will see a ’Shop for You Order Form’ which gives us all the info we need to get your goods together as quickly as possible. Email it through and we’ll confirm we got it within 24 hours, then we aim to have your order ready within 3 days but will call you if it is ready sooner and to take payment. That way when it gets picked up you can just grab and go rather than having to queue up waiting to pay. You don’t have to bring your own containers but if you are dropping off containers for refilling, we will have a spot in the store to drop them so you don’t have to hang around then too.

Shop for You Order Form – click on red text for PDF which can be typed on or printed

Shop for You Order Form (Word Version)

So that we don’t miss your order please send it directly to the dedicated orders email address for your local store:

Mundaring-orders@wastelesspantry.com.au

Bassendean-orders@wastelesspantry.com.au

Since clarity is key:

Our Returns Policy is available online: https://www.wastelesspantry.com.au/returns-policy/

Our prices change frequently depending on supply conditions.

We cannot guarantee that all products will be in stock.

There are purchase limits on some products depending on demand and supply.

Please be as clear as possible – this helps staff to fulfill your order more quickly.

Some products which have multiple options (varies depending on your local store), please be clear. For example:

Chia – black or white?

Chocolate – bits or buttons? milk white or dark (or carob)?

Coffee – Imported or Australian; single origin or blend; decaf; strong, medium or mild

Flour – plain, SR, 00, rye, wholemeal, spelt (white or wholemeal), bakers, gluten, sustainable (stoneground or normal), gluten free?

Laundry Liquid – top or front loader?

Muesli – fruity, tropical, toasted, 98% fat free, organic or sugar free?

Nuts (esp cashews, almonds and peanuts) – raw or roasted/ salted or unsalted?

Oats – organic, rolled or quick?

Paprika – sweet or smoky

Quinoa – tri colour, white or red

Pepper – peppercorns black or blended, Szechuan, white ground

Rice – basmati, jasmine, arborio, short or long grain

Salt– Fine or Rock, Regular or Pink Lake Salt or flavoured (chicken, garlic, celery, onion, vegetable)

Spices – seeds or ground?

Tea – so many options!

Turmeric – 3% or 5%

We hope this makes it easy to understand and clear what to expect. Thanks for supporting us!

We are still open

Thanks, everyone for supporting us to serve you during the COVID-19 crisis.

Just confirming that yes, we are still open and are sticking with our usual hours at this time.

In line with government recommendations, you will see signs out the front of our stores that help you to understand how we are doing what we can to keep everyone safe.

It is a condition of entry that ALL customers sanitise their hands with the provided sanitiser – feel free to use throughout your time in the store as often as needed
Maximum numbers of customers can be in the store at one time as per the sign for each store
Please wait in a line outside if needed keeping a safe distance apart
Due to the above crowd restriction, please limit your time in the store so you get all your shopping done but aren’t browsing. If you could come with a bit of an idea of the things you need that helps!
Keep a safe distance from staff and other shoppers
Card payments only
Respect purchase limits

Do not enter the store if you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and utilise our Shop for You program to get your goods.

We will talk you through our new checkout process that minimises contact with your goods.

Throughout the day we will shut our doors for 10 minutes to sanitise surfaces and scoops so don’t go away, it’s only a moment for your safety.

In normal times we love having your kids in the store. However, we’ve had to pack up the toys so ideally leave them at home if you can.