Stacey Carol

  Bulk Food Orders - includes Organic, from Honest to Goodness   Want to buy dry goods and pantry staples like flour, rice, dried fruit, and cooking oil at a cheaper price?    Although still not cheap, the cheaper way to buy organic is to bulk buy.   If you don't need 5kg of flour at a time you can share, as part of an Honest to Goodness group!  There are already a couple of local groups who reap the benefits of lower cost organic pantry foods with Honest to Goodness.    Thanks to the guys who organise those, but these groups are both getting pretty big, and I’ve had a few people ask if I can do one too.    So now is the time to express a concrete interest in me running an account with Honest to Goodness (H2G).   Being part of a group means you can get access to lower prices for most products when the group as a whole meets minimum quantities.    Plus you can choose to 'split' a large item to make a b...

  Cancelled Classes Everyone needs a recharge occasionally, and now that the house sitters are organised I will be practicing the Maitri aspect of yoga and taking a family holiday.    There will be no classes during the first week of May.  So Tuesday 2nd and Thursday 2nd May classes are cancelled .  I will be back, and ready to roll for the next Catch-up on Sunday 7th May. Class Booking System We have a simple new booking system for yoga classes.    Each week you just text YOGA , and the classes you’re booking.    E.g. “YOGA    Tues & Thurs”.    Bookings can be made in advance or on the day.    This way I know who is due, and can let you know in the unlikely event that class needs to be cancelled.  

    It wasn’t just the kids who enjoyed the Easter fun at the last catch-up.    The nibbles table was most popular, and I even caught Lisa on camera during her artsy moment, colouring in Garrett’s bunny ears in a fancy ladybird design.      The kids loved the bunny ears and the egg and spoon race the most. Cindy’s bunny ear craft table was a favoured space, where the kids got a custom made headband before colouring in their bunny ears.    All ears made it onto the respective heads, with some having to be prised off at bedtime!  Sammy’s long legs gave him the lead in the egg and spoon race, which he was so pleased, and surprised, to win. Nanny Naomi had an equally big grin when she got to present the winner with first choice of the chocolate eggs.  A number of us got in last-minute guesses for the giant jar of eggs competition.    I had a good lesson about procrastination, for one of the numbers I wanted to pick was already...

When I first had an abundance of chokkoes, in 2022, I searched for hours for a sugar-free chokko chutney recipe.  As I could not find one I made one up and was delighted with the outcome.  This is now one of my favourite condiments, and a great way to get extra onions into my boys.  I have already made about 12 litres this year and plan to make more, so that it lasts until next chokko harvest!  Ingredients: 2kg chokkos, in small cubes, with tough, fibrous parts removed 1kg onions, finely chopped  1/2 cup fine pink Himalayan salt  1 1/2 cups Buckwheat flour 1 litre white vinegar 2.5 cups dates, cut in half 4 teaspoons curry powder 4 teaspoons turmeric 4 teaspoons mustard seeds 1 teaspoon ground black pepper  Method: Place all ingredients in a large, high-sided pot.  I use an 8 litre stockpot. Mix well.   Cook over high flame, constantly stirring, for 5 minutes. Do not let it boil.   Turn down heat and let simmer...

    After failing to find a decent sugar-free tomato sauce recipe I made one of my own. It goes well with burgers, cheese and crackers, or as a dip for anything from cut carrots to thick potato wedges.   Ingredients 1 cup cashew nuts 2 large red pepper / red capsicum  2 small aubergine / eggplant  2 cups cherry tomatoes  1/2 red chilli  1 bulb garlic  2 medium onions 1 cup dates  3 big punches of pink Himalayan rock salt  1/3 cup fluid (left over in tray from steam-grilling the veg/water/bone broth)   Method Roughly cut the capsicum, slice the eggplant and place on an oiled baking tray.  Add the cherry tomatoes, whole, and spray with olive oil. Roast or grill in the oven until lightly charred.  I used a counter-top steam oven set on the steam grill function at 210 degrees for about 20 minutes (turning half-way). Finely chop the chilli, garlic, onions and fry in olive oil, in a deep sided pan, over a medium heat unt...

    Our good (not so) old post Mistress, Lisa, is giving you the chance to win this whole giant jar of Easter eggs.  At just $1 per guess you might as well pick a few numbers. Moorland Public School P&C are running an Easter Egg Guessing Competition, only $1/guess! All proceeds go to Moorland Public School P&C. Lisa said, "We are a small school of 32 students, our aim is to raise money to support school excursions such as swimming lessons and where possible, contribute towards the cost of hiring a bus to transport our students. Your support is always greatly appreciated." Guessing competition rules: the 1st person to pick the number will be deemed the winner so where there are multiple correct guesses, the winner will be deemed from the date of the guess. So that you get your eggs in time for Easter, the competition will be drawn on Monday 3rd April.  I made sure to ask Lisa to bring the the jar along to the Easter Party Community Catch-up this Sunday (2-4pm ...

The fire danger season may be coming to an end, but the Rural Fire Service (RFS) is already preparing for future events, and are looking for new recruits to help our community. You can help the RFS by becoming a firefighter, or sharing this post with someone you think might fit the bill.  I caught up with Stewart Waugh, the esteemed Fire Chief at Moorland RFS, to ask what it takes to become a member of the RFS.   There's not much to it really, as long as you have a reasonable level of fitness and are over 18 years old you can apply.     All costs are covered by the RFS, so you need not pay anything to become a volunteer Firefighter.   Once qualified, you will be expected to attend at least two training session per month.  The crew trains on a Sunday between 10am and 12pm.  As the video below shows, some of the training is pretty fun! It is important to attend incidents in a timely manner, so the RFS prefers members to live within 15 mintutes...