It's Competition Time Again!!

To celebrate our new product  Y-Yo Organic Perfumes,  we are giving you the chance to win a 50ml Perfume of your choice valued at $59.95

Simply purchase a (3ml x 5 fragrance) SAMPLE KIT, or CITRUS SAMPLE KIT.
Then, CONTACT US once you know which fragrance you love best, and tell us in 25 words or less which one it is, and what daydream the scent inspires when you wear it. Entries close March 18, 2011.

While you're visiting our store, check out or SALE section - more bargains listed but extremely limited stock - won't last long!


GC x

ON SALE!

THINKBABY Complete Feeding Sets Normally $99 - ON SALE $59. Members Price $47.20
Go Now  

CLEAN CONSCIENCE
Peppermint Window/Glass Cleaner 500ml Normally $9.95 Member price $7

Lemon Myrtle Multi Spray Cleaner 500ml Normally $9.95 Member price $7

Laundry Powder 1 kg Normally $26.95 Member price $12.50

Go Now

Simply Enter your membership code in the 'discount code' box at checkout to receive the Members Prices!

A Romantic Eco-Valentine's Dinner For Two!

Valentine's day this year falls on Meatless Monday! So in keeping with the spirit, we've combined both occasions to really Green-Up this day of love...A simple italian-inspired  menu that won't have our eco- lovebirds trapped in the kitchen all night.

Entree - Stuffed Field Mushrooms
2-4 field mushrooms   2x garlic cloves    1x T olive oil    1-2 x ripe roma tomatoes   
1 slice old bread, crusts removed, cubed    1/2 t ground pepper   5 basil leaves, torn   
1 x T flat leaf parsely   2 T finely grated parmesan cheese    125ml cup milk  

Remove stems from mushrooms and add into a hot pan with garlic and olive oil. Fry until soft. Add chopped tomatoes and stir until warm. Set aside into a bowl. 

Then add cubed bread, pepper, basil, parsely, cheese and milk.  Scoop this mixture into mushrooms and top each one with a slice of tomato, some basil and some grated parmesan.

Place in greased baking tray and bake in moderate oven for around 15-20 mins. Drizzle with a little olive oil on serving.


Main - Oven Baked Asparagus Risotto
1 T olive oil  1 x onion, finely chopped    1 x crushed garlic clove  
1/2 t finely grated lemon zest   150g arborio rice  350ml vegetable stock   
100g asparagus, sliced diagonally  23g grated parmesan cheese    sea salt    ground pepper

Preheat oven to 180. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole pot on med heat.  Cook onion until soft. Add garlic and lemon zest and cook for 20 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat. Then add stock, bring to the boil, stir occasionally.

Cover casserole dish and place in oven for 10-15 mins. Add asparagus and bake for a further 3 mins, or until asparagus is bright green and tender. Stir in parmesan, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a little more parmesan to serve.

Dessert -  Chocolate Mousse Pronto!!
80g marshmallows, torn     300ml just boiled water    25g soft butter   
125 g 70% dark chocolate, chopped     140ml double cream    1/2 t vanila extract

Put butter, marshmallows, chocolate and water in a heavy based saucepan. Melt contents gently on stovetop. Stir occasionally. Remove form heat once melted. 

Whip cream with vanilla until really thick.  Fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until smooth.
Scrape into glasses or ramekins and refridgerate until you are ready to serve.  

(Pics courtesy of Foodnetwork, Straight from the Farm and Nigella)

Our New Brand Spanker ONLINE SHOP Is Now Active!!

We're so excited, and we just can't hide it....

Many new products still to come but stop by and check it out here.
Enter your Member code to purchase at the discounted prices. If you don't have a code, go to JOIN NOW and get Membered!!

We'd also like to share other exciting changes for GC in 2011...

• Membership now just $5 per month
• Our beautiful new postage rates  - Who can resist!!

More products added daily, so keep your eyes peeled!

Our Weekly E-Zine is now sent each Fri, giving you wonderful tasty recipe and eco ideas for the weekends! 

Until next week,

GC xo

P.S We will be unveiling our newest GC counterparts shortly!!

Waste Not, Want Not...

Continuing data collected by Do Something! ABS and State Governments reveal that across Australia, about 4.45 million tonnes of food, worth $7.8 billion, is discarded each year. Food wastage is up by 50% since 2005. With household bins containing up to 40% food waste, a 'scrap tax' is now being considered.

Given that rotting food in landfill gives off toxic methane gases, composting and smarter food usage have become viable options through council discussions. One of our favourite products is the Bokashi Bucket. Micro-organisms are placed in the bucket with food scraps (incl. meat) and are broken, or pickled down to a safer form to be able to then transport from the kitchen to your compost heap. There is no smelly ordeal for your kitchen and the liquid produced can be removed easily and used diluted with water on your garden to really boost your harvest. Retailing for around $18 for the Mirco-organism mix and $85 for the Bokashi bucket, GC Member Price is $12 for the mix and $65 for the bucket. Check out Bokashi Man for more info...

By writing a list and planning meals for the week, you can reduce your food waste and your grocery cost! Work out what will last the distance in the fridge, and use the most perishable items first. We cook up meals in batches the day our produce arrives and then freeze, or sometimes have a big cook up at the end of the week with what is left by making soups, casseroles, curries etc with our leftover vegies. When stewing and poaching fruits, or using in baking - food waste will be minimal, and you will find that your week feels easier because your meals are already made!!

By  keeping a good stock of pantry supplies like stock, herbs, spices, rice and flours etc, you will always be able to pull something yummy together! Perhaps juicing is more your thing in the warmer months? Drying fruits and vegies is also a great way to preserve foods. If you don't have a dehydrator, placing foods in the oven on a very low temp over a few hrs can also do the trick.



Until Next Week!


GC xo

5 Eco-Tips For The Festive Season

1. Make smarter, more sustainable seafood choices - Xmas/Summer is our largest period of consumption of Seafood. Instead of Atlantic Salmon, Orange Roughy, Rainbow Trout, Swordfish, Baby Octopus and Scallops - go instead for Ling, Bream, Flathead, Hoki, Mullet, Whiting, Calamari and Bugs. These more ocean-friendly alternatives are extremely versatile and can be used grilled, baked, poached, in curries, on the BBQ stuffed whole - the list is endless!! 

2. Recycle Paper Waste - If your Xmas paper can't be salvedged to be re-used, then direct it to the recycle bin! Any Xmas cards (or other cards for that matter) can be recycled by collecting a Planet Ark card recycling envelope from any Australia Post Shop and filling it up! New paper products are made using this waste, and with Australians posting around 100 million cards each year, why not do something useful with them?

3. Revisit Your Recipes - don't be stuck eating the same repetitive Xmas dinner for days on end. Most leftovers can be made into wonderful new meals with minimal effort. Think soups, pies, curries, frittatas and pasties. Or go old school and make Bubble & Squeak!! 

4. Be Water Smart - Invest in your own stainless steel or glass water bottle and fill 'er up! Cut plastic bottles out altogether and the harmful chemicals they exude as they break down. Our bodies lose the equivalent of up to 8 glasses of water per day so try and aim to drink at least 2L. On the flip side, turn the tap off as you brush your teeth. Race the egg timer in the shower and bath with the one you love rather than by yourself.

5. Head to the Post-Xmas sales - at your nearest garden centre. There can be great reductions after summer on vegie seedlings, herbs and native trees. Lilly Pillies, Casuarinas and Native Pine Trees (Hoops, Bunyas and Norfolks) will make for a wonderful Xmas tree next year!

Are Your Knickers This Twisted??

There are kinder, greener (yet still sexy) alternatives so that we never have to put these toxic togs near our tushes again!! Check out these links for some reASSuring retail therapy...

A great range of everyday knickers, singlets, tights etc for the whole family go to zodee.com.au

For something a little more luxurious and feminine check out www.madonnabain.com.au

For our little cherubs THE Cutest little miss, and little mister singlets and boylegs find the essence of childhood innocence at www.bluebelle.com.au

 And to get your whole family involved on Pants to Poverty Stock up on mens, womens and childrens briefs at The New Internationalist Shop

GC xo