Around here

It has been a cold week here, well at least for us Queenslanders that is.  Our Winter is very mild compared to down South however it's been cold for us.  Very excited to get our first delivery of our organic meat order.  Here's a few photos from our week.

A foggy morning.

 

Foggy morning with the bush turkey going for a walk.

The Trumpet Vine is starting to flower.

Pretty in pink.

Friday night home made pizza.

Our first delivery of "Our Cow" organic meat delivery.  I wrote about it in this blog post.

Delivered to my front door.

Has use by dates for both "leave in the fridge" or a "freezer" date as well.

This cute little binder comes with it so you can put your recipes in it. 

A new daily journal book I ordered for myself.

Around here - supporting our farmers

Last year just before lockdown I came across "Spray Free Farmacy" which is a family run home based business in Brisbane consisting of Kristen, her husband and two daughters.  I believe they also have quite a few family members helping out in the business now as they deliver to over 500 families a week.  The business is five years old now and when Covid took off in early 2020 and Brisbane was in lockdown for 2 months the business thrived and has continued to get better and better.

Image from Spray Free Pharmacy website about page.

Who wouldn't love to support this family business.   Before they started the business they used to spend time going to Farmers Markets, Organic shops and then the supermarkets for the extra things which was taking up a lot of their weekend time.  They tried different organic home delivery services and they thought that they were okay until they came across Kel, a farmer and they asked her to put a veggie box together for them.  They were amazed at the beautiful fresh produce and fantastic value and they mentioned it to friends who also wanted a box too.  Before long they decided to set up a partnership with Kel and start offering fantastic boxes to the wider Brisbane community.

There are two options for delivery of your boxes with the first one being the home delivery to your door for $10 which is the option I go with, or you can opt to pick your box up from a designated local location.  My box gets delivered early Saturday morning to my front door and the following delivery I leave my empty box outside so they can be reused for the next family.

This is why they provide "spray free" veggies to families and they have great articles on their blog. You can get a standard box small, medium and large and swap things out if you something or prefer a different item.  They also have lots of other things available like sourdough bread, eggs, yoghurt, rice, butter, cheese, milk, sauces, nuts, oil etc.  I can vouch that these veggies last 2-3 weeks vs the supermarket one week in the fridge.  If you are in Brisbane or surrounds I can highly recommend this service.  Below is some pictures of deliveries I have had.

A number of years ago I purchased some organic meat from a farmer who had a delivery service to Brisbane which I ordered a couple of times and then stopped.  Some 10 years later I am more in tune with where our food comes from, additives and preservatives and supporting farmers and small businesses.

Last week I watched Landline and they had an amazing story on a young couple Dave and Bianca who bought their farm 3.5 hours inland of Bryon Bat at the ages of 28 and 23 respectively.  How amazing is that having young people want to farm.  Their first two years on the farm was tough with fires, flood and drought so they had to dig deep and think of a way to survive and they came up with their business "Our Cow".  I love the name and the simple green colours and logo.  I love a good farming story and particularly for such a young couple trying to get ahead.  Their vision was to create a connection between farmers and the people who purchase their food which they have done.  They wanted to provide consistency to themselves along with their farmers knowing how much they will get for their produce.  This is the link to the 13 minute Landline story which you should watch.

This is Dave & Bianca and these images can be found on their Instagram account.

In March, 2019 they launched the "Our Cow" website offering meat online, cut to order directly from Australian farmers to the consumer.  I of course only discovered them due to the lovely story on Landline last week and I was immediately impressed.  Having organic meat delivered to my door and I can make up my own box of what goes in it which is music to my ears.  Supporting farmers is so important as they do it tough and they should get paid a decent price.

Watch the video from their website which is half way down this page.  It runs for 5 minutes to tell you about their product and why they set up their business to give farmers a consistent fair price.

The meat is cryovaced in portions of 500gms for sausages, minced and diced products for easy storage and family meals.  Having the meat cryovaced promotes and extra fresh shelf life with some products lasting up to 42 days in the fridge so you don't need to have a big freezer to store your meat.  When we used to go camping I used to go to the butcher and get the meat cryovaced so if it was floating around in the eski there was no way any melted ice that would get into the meat.  Have a look at the simple yet beautiful packaging below.

The images are from the Our Cow Instagram and website.

You can choose from their pre-selected meat boxes or build your own box which is what I did.

Boxes can be purchased as a once off purchase or you can subscribe to boxes for a set and forget monthly meet delivery.  I have gone with a monthly subscription service and each month the box can be altered prior to delivery so I don't have to get exactly the same every month.  The monthly box is $199 and this month they had a special subscription offering that over your first 3 boxes you'll get for free $180 worth of meat thrown in.

My first meat box order I will receive for free a 1.5kg Beef Roast and 1kgs of Lamp Chops which is amazing.  My organic meat delivery of $200 a month works out to be $50 a week.  You can order more than the basic box however I'm feeding 3 people so this will be enough for our family at this stage.  I'm so excited to receive my first order and support this business and the farmers they support.  I will see how long my pack lasts as I may increase it to $60 or $70 per week depending.  Knowing I am feeding my family good quality organic meat and having it delivered to my door is amazing.

The comparison was posted on Our Cow Instagram on 11th January, 2021.

Have a look at this yummy beef burger recipe.  They have a heap of recipes on their website as well using the cuts of meat on offer.

These are the farmers they are supporting with their business and his is the offer I subscribed to which is for June 2021 at the time of this post.  So my organic meat is delivered to my door once a month which works out to be $50 a week for my family.

I am so excited about the meat delivery and I love the fruit and veggie delivery and the fact they are stocking more grocery items as well.  I get so over shopping as it's a huge time waster and the more you are at the shops the more money you spend.  Having these two amazing services to support my family's health feels so good to me.  I hope you watch get to watch the Landline story because it's great.  I LOVE Landline and watch it every week.  Landline is on the ABC and has been running for 30 years.

Slow Cooker Beef Recipe & Flat Bread

The other day I was scrolling Instagram and there was a video for a slow cooker recipe.  I had all the ingredients and just needed to buy some beef and potatoes.  I put the slow cooker on around midday on high and about half an hour before I was serving I made some flat breads to go with it instead of having it with rice.   It was so delicious and warming on the first day of winter in Australia and the flat bread was great for mopping up all the sauce.

SLOW COOKER BEEF RECIPE

500gms diced beef [recipe called for double that however I just used half - you could use 1kgs]

3-4 carrots chopped into large size chunks

4 potatoes chopped into quarters [I used the little packet of Aldi Microwave potatoes for size]

2 large onions chopped

Peas & Beans [optional - to be put in at the end of cooking]

3 cups of beef stock

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup of plain flour

Salt & Pepper to taste.

METHOD

Dice beef into large cubes if not already diced.

Place in pan with some olive oil to brown the beef and then put into slow cooker.

Using the same pan, place potatoes and carrots in the pan and brown, and then put them in the slow cooker.

Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of plain flour over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker and stir until everything is covered.

Back to the stove top; add garlic and herbs and onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir through, then pour in the beef stock and bring to the boil.

When reaching the boil place this into slow cooker.

Add the bay leaves and parsley [note I didn't use either of these].

About 15-20 minutes before you want to eat dinner, place some beans and peas into the slow cooker and stir through.  You could also add other greens at this stage like baby spinach for extra nutrition at this stage.

FLAT BREAD RECIPE

Here is a link to my flat bread post from 2017.  The ingredients for the flat bread is as follows:-

250gms Self Raising Flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt [recipe calls for 1 teaspoon however it's too salty for us so we use half]

1 teaspoon baking powder

250gms Natural Yoghurt - I used Greek Yoghurt

Around here - good news story

One of my favourite shows is Landline which usually airs on a Sunday and I think it's also replayed on another day on the ABC.  There was a lovely story about a chef, Martin Duncan who found a random pop-up article on his Facebook page that caught his attention.

A 96 year old woman in Scotland had come up with a remarkable solution to the isolation she had been feeling since her partner's death 15 years earlier.  With no friends or family, she decided to hold morning teas to, as Martin puts it, "escape her cage".  The concept was a big success and Martin was sold and "Scone Time" was born 18 months before Covid-19 hit.

Scone Time quickly became a community connector where seniors could come together with family, friends and local business owners over fresh hot scones loaded with home made jam and whipped cream.

The simple concept involves Martin setting up at a venue, usually a local hall or meeting room.  These often hold memories for guests who may have attended dances or supper clubs there in the past.

Along with volunteers, he sets up tables with vintage tea sets, gets the coffee and tea brewing, and warms up his freshly made scones along with lashings of jam and cream sourced from local farmers.

"One guy hadn't been out for two years after his wife passed away, and Martin told him "you've got to come".

He wasn't on the internet so Martin said "just come, come with me" and he put him on a table with a lot of girls - the youngest was 82 and they brought him into the fold.

One 92 year old lady had missed only one event because she had to go to the doctor.

This story was so lovely and solves a big problem of isolation of the elderly.  Even if people have family they may not be living in the same town or city as them and therefore can still be alone.  I love that the good china gets used and is such a ritual.

Here's the link to an article on Scone Time.

Here's a link to the original recipe which I have written out below.

This lady donated her Royal Albert tea set so it could be put to good use for Scone Time.

Scone Time's Winning Scone Recipe

Prep Time : 15 minutes

Cook Time : 15 minutes

Makes : 24 scones [approximately]

INGREDIENTS

WET: 

• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups of milk (plus extra if required)
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

DRY: 

• 125g chilled salted butter
• 1 kg self raising flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Plain flour for dusting benchtop

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C
2. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Grate the butter and use your fingers to rub it into the flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, without overmixing them. Add more milk if required for a moist dough.
5. Gently pat scone mix out onto a floured benchtop and cut into squares.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Enjoy with jam and cream.

Around here

I love reading articles on finance, savings in the household budget and all things to do with money.  Many years ago Anita Bell wrote a book on how they paid off their mortgage in 3 years on $50,000 income.  The thing with every generation is, house prices get higher and you wonder how your kids will ever be able to purchase a home.

I bought my first home in 1991 for $105,000 and it was 5kms from the CBD.  It was a 2 bedroom post war home which I renovated and over time built a big back covered deck which over looks a park.  I had $2,000 deposit and borrowed $3,000 off my family and borrowed $100,000 from the Queensland Housing Commission.  In 1999 I sold that home for $153,000 which sold 8 hours after I put it on the market.

I then bought my second house about one km away for $117,000.  I also renovated this house by knocking out the back section of the house putting a big covered deck, new kitchen etc and landscaping.  I had a builder to do the building works however I did all the painting.  This house was the same style as my first house, a 2 bedroom post war house with a little sunroom entrance which the main bedroom opens onto.  I also put in the driveway and paths, garden beds and landscaping. I loved both of these houses and as I was single had plenty of time to renovate on the weekends.  I sold this house for $254,000 in late 2002 and basically doubled my money in 4 years.  18 years later It was on the market last year and sold for $680,000 in October, 2020.  It's still a post war house, 2 bedroom with a car port out the front so crazy prices.

I'm so proud of myself for doing this on my own and also knowing that your first house is never your dream house.  I now live in a brick 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 family room home and I love it.  Even though I love post war homes and the traditional Queenslander homes were too expensive for me to buy, they require a lot of maintenance and external painting which costs a lot of money.  I love living in a low set brick home.

Back to money and finances.  Often when people get pay rises it means they can then splurge on things they want because now they are earning more money.  Then the next pay rise comes and the same thing happens and what you can find is lifestyle creep.  People earning less income can often make their money go further because they have to, whereas large income earners aren't so worried about spending the money because there is more of it.

Years ago Wendy from My Abundant Life blog was featured on "A Current Affair" back in 2014 and her story was amazing.  One income family, two kids and they paid off their $100,000 mortgage in a few years. This was a post that Wendy wrote one year after it had aired.

There was also some talk in the media about the family being poor and Wendy wrote this blog post about her thoughts on it.

Over the years I have cut my family's food budget to a lower amount however even I wonder how on earth Wendy does it.  Here's a few links that might be useful on Wendy's blog:-

Posts on cleaning and home made cleaning products thereby savings hundreds of dollars a year and Miracle Spray recipe.

Thrifty living link blog posts.

Is the frugal life worth it.

Soap making recipe.

Every family has a different perception of what is normal.  I grew up in a 3 bedroom house with 7 family members and we all shared bedrooms.  We had one small bathroom and a separate toilet.  In our bedrooms we had two single beds and a stand alone wardrobe and that was it.  These days most kids have their own bedrooms so family homes are larger and often there are two living rooms vs one lounge room when I was growing up.  There are media rooms, study/home offices and generally our homes are double the size of what they were back then.  These days homes are getting bigger and the land size is getting smaller whereas I think it should be the other way round...smaller homes and more outdoor space.

Saving money certainly begins in the home from food shopping, cleaning supplies, not wasting food, getting the best deals on mortgages, insurances, phone plans, electricity etc.  On the home front there is a lot that can be done towards the household budget.  You will certainly be inspired by any of Wendy's posts.  If you have any special tips or tricks you would like to share I would love to hear them.

Around Here - The Royal Funeral

Last week I watched Prince Phillip's Funeral on TV and it was beautiful.  It was very sad seeing the Queen wearing a black face mask sitting all by herself in the church.  That was a pretty heartbreaking scene and it certainly shows that life is different in a pandemic. 

What an incredible life he lived and how he was admired by many.  I think one of the nice things about the pandemic [if you can say that about a pandemic] is that during his last year he and the Queen would have spent the most amount of time together at home than they had in years.  Even though he retired a few years ago, the Queen was at home on Zoom instead of her many engagements that would normally take her outside the Palace.

I think it's so comforting for them that they got to spend all that time together and that he got the funeral that he had personally planned, small and intimate with his family all due to the pandemic.  As for the 4 singers in the cathedral, wow, having their voices echo as if they were a whole choir was amazing.  It was very moving and just the way he wanted it.  It's such a significant moment in history and to make it to nearly 100 is a milestone in itself.

It was very moving that during his whole life he walked two steps behind the Queen and for his final farewell she followed him which gave me goosebumps.   He has been around her since she was 13 years old and it will be a big loss and adjustment for her and the Royals.

This was a great photo, Prince Phillip had secretly dressed up as one of the Guards

and then the Queen realized it was him and they were both smiling.