copal quick bites and highlights - City of Palmerston

COPAL QUICK BITES AND HIGHLIGHTS
NOVEMBER 2014
From the COPAL team…
Life looks brighter outside…..but as the heat sets
in, you’re probably thinking “No more parks for
me!” Why not try the Aquatic and Lifestyle
Centre on the corner of Tilston Avenue and
Bonson Terrace or the Palmerston Water Park
for a cool alternative?
You can take a picnic dinner or use the BBQ
facilities and enjoy the tropical nights before the
rains hit. Check out our Better BBQ tips for
delicious ideas to add new life to the old
sausage sizzle.
As we move closer to the wet season it also
means we are getting closer to the festive
season. Keep an eye out for our next news letter
that will be a wrap up of the year and feature
some fun ideas to help take the stress out of the
silly season.
Mayor’s Message
What great fun I had at the recent Children’s
Week celebration at the Recreation Centre!
Around 180 parents and grandparents and over
200 children aged 0-5yrs of age came along to
enjoy the stalls, displays and healthy morning
tea. It was fantastic to see so many Palmerston
service providers work together to host such a
fun and free event for our families. Thank you to
everyone involved.
You may have recently received a brochure
about the next stage of development for Goyder
Square. We look forward to hearing your
feedback on the design concepts for this
beautiful outdoor space that will be the new heart
of our city. Once completed it will be another
great green space to add to the over 200 parks
in Palmerston.
In my last Mayor’s Message,
I highlighted the importance of
being water wise and familiarising yourself and
your family with the dangers
associated with pipes and drains.
I hope that the many signs that
have now gone up around
Palmerston keep this important message in your
mind as we head into the storm season.
Cheers,
Ayrlie and Tamie 
Mayor of Palmerston, Ian Abbott
COPAL’s Better BBQ ideas…
As the weather heats up no one wants to heat up the house
cooking! The BBQ is a great Australian tradition and a family
favourite and COPAL has some tasty, healthy menu ideas to
inspire you next time you fire up the grill….
BBQ vegies
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For the main meal
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Steak Sandwich – Tenderised, minute steak made
from round or topside cut, served on wholemeal bread,
topped with tomato and lettuce
Australian burger - lean mince or vegie patty served
with tomato, lettuce, fresh or barbecued pineapple rings
and sliced beetroot.
Skewers – Pick lean meat or tofu or haloumi &
marinate, thread onto skewers (soak wooden skewers in
water first) with capsicum, mushroom, cherry tomatoes,
and zucchini brushed/sprayed with healthy oil.
BBQ Yiros - Lean meat, thinly sliced, or falafels served
on wholemeal pita bread with fresh salad and tzatziki
sauce.
BBQ Toasties - Pre-make toasties with wholemeal
bread and toppings such as, reduced-fat cheese,
tomato, avocado or lean ham. Lightly brush bread with
oil before barbecuing each side until golden on the hot
plate.
BBQ Stirfry – Cook your slices of meat or chicken first,
set aside and cook vegetables. Then added hokkien
noodles. For extra flavour try one of these great
Did you know……
marinades
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Jacket Potatoes – reheat cooked potatoes, wrapped
in foil, on BBQ and then top with salad or vegetables
and low fat cheese
Corn on a skewer – although not necessary try
threading corn onto skewers for easy cooking and
eating
Marinated garlic mushrooms - Brush/spray or toss
large mushrooms with healthy oil and a small amount
of crushed garlic, then grill.
Vegie kebabs – Brush/spray or toss capsicum,
zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mushroom with healthy
oil and Italian herbs then thread onto skewers.
Add a salad!
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Coleslaw - shredded carrot, cabbage, celery, and
radish tossed in reduced-fat yogurt, lemon juice and
parsley.
Tabouli – cracked wheat, parsley, mint, onion,
tomatoes, lemon juice and a small amount of olive oil.
Pasta salad – cooked pasta, tomatoes and spring
onions tossed in balsamic vinegar.
Potato salad – cooked potato and spring onions
dressed in a mixture of reduced-fat yoghurt, mustard
and black pepper or alternatively reduced-fat yoghurt,
fresh mint, garlic and lemon.
Why not invite friends and family over for a BBQ this weekend
and try out something new!
Marinades
Stuck for some healthy, tasty marinades for your meat, chicken
or vegies? Some yummy marinades to try on both meats and
vegetarian items are
 Classic soy - Reduced-salt soy sauce, small amount of
sesame oil, ginger and garlic
 Lemon and chilli - Garlic, reduced-salt soy sauce,
lemon juice and sweet chilli sauce
 Tandoori – reduced-fat yoghurt with chilli, coriander,
garlic, cumin and turmeric.
 Honey soy – garlic, honey and reduced-salt soy sauce
For the best result let your items marinate overnight or for at
least two hours.
DID YOU KNOW …
As a resident of the City of Palmerston you can use
the free City of Palmerston Community BBQ Trailer at
your Neighbourhood Party, call the Community
Development Team on 08 89359922 for further
information.
COPAL AND CITY OF PALMERSTON EVENTS
AND ACTIVITIES
Children’s Week
Did you come along to the Children’s Week party at the Rec
Centre?
Almost 400 people joined in with Boof the Barra and Hector
the Road Safety Cat. They also danced with the library team
during Tunes and Tales and enjoyed a great range of
activities that were put on by service providers. This included
finger painting and badge making, yoga and gymnastics and
the imagination playground.
COPAL supplied the smoothie bike for some yummy banana
smoothies and helped to cook some Cheesy Vegie and
Tropical Fruit muffins. Fruit cups were also provided and the
muffin recipes were handed out to the crowds.
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COPAL has started working with the Harvest Corner
community garden committee to plan for some children’s
elements in the garden and school projects to bring students
into the space. Stay tuned for more information about
workshops and activities at the garden next year!
COPAL has also donated our beloved blue smoothie bike to
the garden so that gardeners can reward their hard work with a
refreshing smoothie made from produce they have grown.
New members are always welcome to the garden. Join a
bunch of like-minded people in learning and sharing how to
grow and eat local produce. Working Bees are held on the 3rd
Sunday of each month from 8-10am. There is also a social
gathering on the first Friday of each month, from 5pm.
Individual plots are available and kids are always welcome!
The garden is located at the Gray Community Hall, cnr
Essington Avenue & Victoria Drive, Gray.
Christmas Carols
Join us for an evening of carols at the Palmerston Recreation
Centre on Saturday 6th December from 6-8pm. Please bring
your own chairs and blankets to sit on. Food stalls will be
available and a donation of non-perishable foods is welcome
to be placed under the Christmas tree.
The Mayor will turn on the lights of the Christmas tree in
Goyder Square at about 8.15 pm.
A flier is attached to this newsletter. Please feel free to share
this with your family and friends.
KAT Indoors
Come along and join the Library team every Wednesday
9:30am to 11:00am for games, singing and storytelling at
Gray Community Hall, cnr Essington Avenue & Victoria Drive,
Gray.
The sessions are designed for children aged from birth to 5
years to participate in activities that stimulate learning and
interaction.
All sessions are free!
Contact www.facebook.com/graycommunitygarden or email
graycommunitygarden@gmail.com or call Naomi on
0439 809 038.
SMOOTHIE BIKE NEWS
With Christmas just around the corner,
COPAL is loving refreshing fruit slushies!
Check out these icy recipes!
Berry Red Slushie
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11⁄4 cups apple juice
1 banana
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
2 cups of ice
COPAL has a new bike !
We have just received our new, lighter, brighter and easier to
transport smoothie bike. With the old one taking up residence
in the garden we will be lending out our new red rocket.
See the website for forms to download to hire the bike.
The smoothie bike is a great addition to end of year
celebrations and Christmas parties and you can try our fruit
slushie ideas or some of the new smoothie recipes we have
included with our user guide.
Blend all ingredients to make an icy treat. If you’re on the
smoothie bike, you’ll need to pedal hard to crush the ice!
Watermelon Icy
 Watermelon
 Ice
Simply blend and enjoy! Its as simple as that!
What can be more refreshing that an icy watermelon
drink??
Add lime, mint or some berries for some extra zing or drink
it plain as the perfect summer drink.
Book the bike now to add some festive fun to
your centre or organisation’s next event!
Just email us at copal@palmerston.nt.gov.au
Green Smoothies
If the idea of a spinach smoothie doesn’t excite you, try a
green fruit smoothie instead.
Blend a combination of honeydew melon, kiwi fruit and
green grapes with a splash of apple juice and ice for a
sweet and refreshing green juice. Add spinach if you are
brave 