Package free Easter

Well, it’s almost that time of year again for a Package Free Easter… Time for Chocolate Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns, package-free of course!

Any day now we will have your favourite milk and dark (vegan-friendly) chocolate Easter eggs available. Locally made, palm-oil free, and absolutely delicious!!

But why bother forgoing the packaging and shopping at Wasteless Pantry? Isn’t cardboard and foil recyclable?

Whilst cardboard is recyclable (so long as you don’t rip it into little pieces), it needs to be transported far and wide to be recycled. With the cost of fuel going up, the value of this recycling may go down. As for the foil, you need to get enough together to make a fist-sized ball otherwise it may get lost in the sorting machine at the Materials Recovery Facility. Then there is palm oil, which many cheaply made chocolates contain, that has negative impacts such as rainforest deforestation. And I think we all understand how important buying local is nowadays.

Make a better choice and grab your Easter eggs at your local Wasteless Pantry.

Pop your package-free, plastic-free Easter eggs into a jar that you’ve decorated with ribbons and Easter-themed decals. Then organize your own Easter hunt!

Waste Free Easter Hot Cross Buns Your Way

There are so many ways to have a Waste Free Easter. A fun one is to make zero waste Hot Cross Buns. Some recipes are worth taking a little more effort to collect ingredients, others have few ingredients and are easy to make, some people don’t like dried fruit, others need to go gluten free. Whichever way you like them, we have all the ingredients in the quantity you need at Wasteless Pantry for plastic free Hot Cross Buns and a waste free Easter. Plus, if you give us a little notice we can even put together the ingredients for you so you can just get on with the baking!

Traditional Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour
14g dried yeast
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups currants
40g butter
300ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste

1/2 cup plain flour
4 to 5 tablespoons water

Glaze

1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Warm butter and milk, combine with eggs and dry ingredients
Knead on floured surface until smooth, place into oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel and set aside for 1-1.5 hours until dough doubles
Punch down dough and knead for 30 seconds. Divide into 12 even ball-shaped portions and place on a greased tray 1cm apart. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to double in size. Preheat oven to 170C
Make flour paste by mixing together ingredients and pipe over buns to form cross. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through
Make glaze by mixing ingredients over low heat until sugar dissolves, boil for 3-4 minutes and brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Enjoy!

Easy & Vegan Hot Cross Buns

Bread base:

500g Crusty or Wholemeal Bread Mix

7g dried yeast

250g lukewarm water

65g sultanas

65g currents

10g mixed spice

Mix together bread base with dried fruit and spice until a smooth dough forms
Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 10 minutes
Knock down the dough and form into 6-8 buns approximately 1cm apart on a greased tray
Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 40-60 minutes
Make flour paste for cross by mixing 1/2 cup plain flour with 4 to 5 tablespoons of water and piping across buns
Bake until golden brown for approximately 20 mins in 180-190C oven
Brush with sugar glaze made by mixing 1/3 cup water with 2 tablespoons of sugar whilst buns are still warm

Enjoy!

Alternative Flavours Hot Cross Buns

For something a bit different, swap out the dried fruit and mixed spice from the Traditional or Easy & Vegan recipes above for…

Chocolate lovers:

25g cocoa powder

50g choc chips

* use melted chocolate for the cross

Choc Cherry:

25g cocoa powder

50g choc chips

65g glace cherries

Apricot & Almond:

125g diced apricots

125g sliced almonds

Date & Walnut:

125g chopped dates

125g walnuts

7g ground cinnamon

Gluten Free Hot Cross Buns

It is pretty easy to make your own gluten free hot cross buns. Simply swap the Plain Flour in the Traditional recipe above for Gluten Free Plain Flour, or swap the Bread Mix for our Gluten Free Crusty Bread Mix in the Easy & Vegan recipe above! That’s it!

Zero Waste Easter Tips

Holiday celebrations like Easter can be filled with excess. Too much packaging, too much food, and novelty items that don’t last long before ending up in a bin.

Celebrating can be done waste-free with minimal effort!

Foil packaging, cardboard boxes, and plastic Easter egg packaging all look pretty. However, they waste valuable resources, often end up in landfill, or contaminate our recycling. And that is not pretty at all.

Instead opt for package-free Easter Eggs, like the ones we have at Wasteless Pantry. As an added bonus they are locally sourced, palm-oil free, and absolutely delicious!

You can easily make your own ‘packaging’ with repurposed glass jars, felt egg gift bags, cloth bunny bags, or even decorated paper bags. There are so many ideas to give it a try.

When thinking about entertaining this Easter, buy your food package free and plan your portion sizes to minimize food waste. Think about how ‘leftover friendly’ your meals are to really get the most out of your food budget this Easter.

Hot cross buns are best straight out of your own oven!

Often the best parts of celebrations are the traditions. This is a great year to make hot cross buns together! It takes just a little while, especially if you pick up a bag of hot cross bun mix from your local Wasteless Pantry. Just enough time to have a chat before you pull them out of the oven warm and mouth-watering to enjoy together over a cup of tea.

Need recipe inspiration? Check out these, with something to suit everyone!

Super Easy & Zero Waste Entertaining

The celebrations of the Christmas and New Year period are all about good food shared with good people. I’m most fond of meals that are made ahead so I get more time to chat and connect; with less time hanging out in the kitchen on my own.

So here is a tried and true meal plan for anytime you need to whip together a feast!

Starters

Dukkah, olive oil and chunks of crusty bread

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers to Wasteless Pantry for the dukkah and oil as well as taking your bread bag to the bakery for your bread (or make your own)]

Soya crisps, Nordic crackers, corn chips and smashed avocado with a little lemon juice, rice cracker salad or mixed nuts

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers to Wasteless Pantry for the snacks and use a reusable produce bag for the avocado. Serve all the snacks in wide-mouthed upcycled jars so you just put the lid back on if they don’t get finished and nothing will go stale]

Main

Brown rice salad – super easy to make in about 20 minutes and if you have extra it is great for lunches the next couple of days. Soak rice overnight if you want to speed up the cooking time.

[Zero waste tip – BYO containers for rice, seeds, currants, oil and soy sauce. Feel free to substitute what you have e.g. red onion for shallots, any colour capsicum, sultanas for currants, dried garlic for fresh (just halve the quantity suggested)]

Roasted vegetables

[Zero waste tip – roast up any vegetables that you have handy, even if they are a bit limp, or shop with reusable produce bags. You don’t need to peel potato, sweet potato, carrots or mushrooms, just pop them straight onto the tray. Try reusable baking liners or oil up your tray instead of using the disposable sheets]

Roasted meat or chicken wings

[Zero waste tip – Pick smaller cuts of meat as these will take less time to cook (and less power to run your oven) and encourage your guests to eat more vegetables since it’s healthier for everyone anyhow. Take your own container to your butcher to avoid the plastic bag and meat tray]

Dessert

Christmas Cake – it is super easy to make this cake that lasts up to 3 months so you will always have something on hand for unexpected visitors!

Fruit platter or grilled stone fruit sprinkled with cinnamon sugar

[Zero waste tip – eat what is in season, since there is so much local variety this time of the year anyhow! Whatever doesn’t get finished can be made into a fruit salad or smoothies for another day. In my opinion cinnamon sugar goes with everything so BYO container for this from Wasteless Pantry]

Bliss balls

[Zero waste tip – these can be made ahead and frozen in small batches so that you can whip them out as needed. Also feel free to get creative with the ingredients by swapping in what you love and have on hand – maybe you prefer macadamia nuts or sunflower seeds, or dried apricots, or try adding in maple syrup if you like it sweeter and rolling in coconut or dip in chocolate for a more decadent treat. The main thing is to use up what you have rather than having bits and bobs going stale in your pantry]

So there you have it, simple and delicious!

Customise to appetites and guests as needed.

Photo credits

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash

Photo by Best Recipe Team

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

Photo by +Simple on Unsplash

Practical Gift Giving Guide

The Lost Art of Not Giving Crap Presents

Do your Christmases and birthdays revolve around getting and giving plastic, over packaged trinkets and novelty gifts that are enjoyed for less than one hour and then become awkwardly pushed aside, dust collecting reminders of rushed decision making and consumerist manipulation?

Or maybe you’ve been regifted one of these little treasures?

I ask these questions not in judgement, but in awe of how easy it is to get caught up in the hype of the festive season and leave all reason behind. As much as I love waste less living, reducing waste, talking rubbish and being thrifty and creative, this time of year I feel the pull of buying stuff. Who doesn’t love showing how much they care by doing nice things for others? The thing is, doing nice things for others is not the same as buying something, just to give something. Thinking through the life of the purchase requires a little more in-depth enquiry.

Will this person find this novelty gift funny for years to come? Yes, great get it! No, then maybe just recap what you saw the next time you catch up.

Will this person have space for this gift in their home long term? Yes, fantastic! No, then is there something else consumable that might be more appreciated?

Does this item fit with who this person would like to be? Yes, fantastic! No, show your support by not making them agonise over wanting to be grateful vs. becoming the person they want to be.

I get that picking out the right gift for someone is hard! But I also wonder if sometimes we forget to ask, does this person even want a gift from me? Would they rather my company, a hand with something or just a smile?

So I titled this blog post “Practical Gift Giving Guide” and whilst I think the most practical gift is often nothing at all, here are some other ideas that might relieve the need to give something good:

Handmade tea blends: How about pulling together your own blend of herbs and petals that would be most soothing for the person in mind? Think a combination of lemongrass, peppermint, hibiscus, ginger & cinnamon for an uplifting blend or chamomile, lavender, rose petal, rosemary for a fragrant calming blend.
Fragrant bath bags: Much like an oversized tea bag for your bath. Again, choose your own blend of loose herbal teas plus some Epsom salts and bicarb to relieve tension and soften skin. Pop it all into a little refillable bag (like our soap nut bags) and you are good to go again and again.
Homemade soaps: Palm oil free soaps can be hard to come by, so stocking up for a friend who cares about this topic may be just the treat they were after.

Individual chocolate bars and rocky road: If you popped into Wasteless Pantry last week you would have had the opportunity to try out Christmas Bark (white chocolate topped with cranberries and pistachios). It took me less than 15 minutes to make, was delicious and the combinations are endless! Just melt chocolate buttons or bits of your choice and top with your friend’s favourite flavours. Maybe they love dark chocolate topped with pepitas, hemp seeds, goji berries and slivered almonds; or perhaps white chocolate topped with trail mix and chia seeds? Delicious!
Reusable items: If you have a friend that is preparing for next years Plastic Free July or saw the War on Waste and wants to get themselves equip to waste less, how about supporting them. Think BYO coffee cups, reusable shopping bags in pretty designs, produce bags, reusable baking liners, metal straws or stainless steel drink bottles. It can be a bit of an investment to get yourself kitted out to start with so this type of thing is greatly appreciated.
Recipe jars: For that friend who loves the idea of cooking from scratch but finds it tedious to gather the ingredients, show your love by doing it for them (or get us to, we won’t tell on you!) and popping a recipe on the back of the container to make cooking a breeze.

Just a sample of ideas to get you started and you can always pop into Wasteless Pantry to have a chat if you have a very tricky friend to find something for.

You never know what inspiration you might find.

Photo credits:

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Photo by Lesly Juarez on Unsplash

Photo by Yoori Koo on Unsplash

Hot Cross Buns Recipe

We love Easter and especially the traditional Hot Cross Bun!

Ingredients

4 cups plain flour
14g dried yeast
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups currants
40g butter
300ml milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Flour paste

1/2 cup plain flour
4 to 5 tablespoons water

Glaze

1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons caster sugar

Warm butter and milk, combine with dry ingredients
Knead on floured surface until smooth, place into oiled bowl covered with a damp tea towel and set aside for 1-1.5 hours until dough doubles
Punch down dough and knead for 30 seconds. Divide into 12 even ball-shaped portions and place on a greased tray 1cm apart. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes to double in size. Preheat oven to 170C
Make flour paste by mixing together ingredients and pipe over buns to form cross. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through
Make glaze by mixing ingredients over low heat until sugar dissolves, boil for 3-4 minutes and brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Enjoy!

Eco Friendly Easter Guide

Our Eco-Friendly Easter Guide is just the thing if you are aiming toward a zero-waste Easter this year.

This time of year is for celebrating and unfortunately also seems to be about generating waste. An article by Pre-Waste on 6 April 2012 indicates:

Since their development in early 19th century France and Germany, chocolate Easter eggs have quickly become seasonal bestsellers. In Italy, 40 million eggs equalling 6.848 tons of chocolate were consumed in 2010. As the chocolate egg has since its first appearance developed from the simple type wrapped in paper to the beribboned variety wrapped in brightest foil and packed in a box or basket, it leads to vast amounts of packaging waste. Approximately 4.370 tonnes of card and 160 tonnes of foil waste are generated in the UK during the holiday every year. Most of the plastic packaging used is not recyclable yet, which means it ends up in landfills.

That’s a lot of waste and whilst there have been improvements in the recyclability of packaging since the article was written, it is fair to say that just because packaging can be recycled does not mean that it is being recycled.

With a little creativity, you can turn this Easter into a low or no-waste event!

Eco Friendly Easter Gift Idea Guide

How about a refillable reusable Easter egg jar?

Repurposed jars such as the ones offered free at Wasteless Pantry are a blank canvas waiting to be decorated! Fill with lollies, chocolates, flavored almonds, sweet Easter wishes, or money. Pinterest has a great inspiration page to get your creativity flowing.

Make your own felt egg-shaped gift bag or what about a fabric bunny basket?

Make your own chocolate Easter treats!

Grab an Easter mold, and chocolate buttons (white, milk, or dark depending on your preference) from Wasteless Pantry ready to be melted into your own handmade Easter treats. Or try your hand at making your own chocolates from scratch, we have those ingredients on hand too.

Dark chocolate recipe:

Makes approximately 200 grams

100g cacao butter (also called cocoa butter)
6 tablespoons cocoa/cacao powder
1-2 tablespoons icing sugar
1/4 cup almonds or 1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Step 1: Melt cacao butter in a double boiler

Step 2: Mix melted butter with sifted cacao powder and icing sugar, incorporating other fillings if used. Place in mold and allow to set in the fridge. Done! Plus it is dairy free (making it vegan friendly) and gluten-free chocolate!

Sit back and indulge in a heartfelt and personal Easter celebration befitting the spirit of this time of year while all the rest are cleaning up the commercialized rubbish.

Easy Hot Cross Buns with a Twist

Whilst we love our traditionally made Hot Cross Buns, sometimes you just don’t have the time or energy to tackle that ingredient list.

The alternative is going fancy with a basic bread mix – our crusty or soft bread mixes (try your hand with the gluten free range if you are inspired too!).

Bread base:

500g bread mix

7g dried yeast

250g lukewarm water

Then tailor it by adding in one of the options below….

Traditional version:

65g sultanas

65g currents

10g mixed spice

Chocolate lovers:

25g cocoa powder

50g choc chips

* use melted chocolate for the cross

Choc Cherry:

25g cocoa powder

50g choc chips

65g glace cherries

Apricot & Almond:

125g diced apricots

125g sliced almonds

Date & Walnut:

125g chopped dates

125g walnuts

7g ground cinnamon

Mix together bread base and optional ingredients until a smooth dough forms
Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 10 minutes
Knock down the dough and form into 6-8 buns approximately 1cm apart on a greased tray
Cover with a damp tea towel and allow to proof for 40-60 minutes
Make flour paste for cross by mixing 1/2 cup plain flour with 4 to 5 tablespoons of water and piping across buns
Bake until golden brown for approximately 20 mins in 180-190C oven
Brush with sugar glaze made by mixing 1/3 cup water with 2 tablespoons of sugar whilst buns are still warm

Enjoy!