Growing our own~ fresh paw paw

Golden paw paw picked fresh from the tree, they are delicious and vitamin packed which is especially helpful at this time of year with coughs, colds and flu's going around.

We were surprised when this little beauty from our front yard tree also had a pretty shape on the inside. We hadn't seen this perfect flower shape before.

Click here to read a story from my childhood about eating paw paw here on Norfolk Island.

In the meantime, its time to make fruit salad with paw paws, passionfruit and bananas (plun) are beginning to be plentiful again.

Pop some paw paw squares and banana rounds on a skewer, roll in coconut add a vanilla yoghurt and fresh passionfruit dipping sauce.
 Not just for lunchboxes...good enough for desserts or pot luck dinner parties.

Chewy oat bars

Time for our first recipe.
This is for those that pop an expensive muesli bar in their kids lunchbox to find that only a bite gets taken out and the rest is wasted.
This is easy enough to get the kids to make it themselves.
*Hot tip #1 Kids will eat most things that they either cook or grow themselves.

Chewy Oat slice

1 cup of quick cooking oats

1 cup plain flour

2/3 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons Golden Syrup

1 tablespoon Water

1/2 teaspoon Bi carbonate soda

*Combine first 4 ingredients into a large bowl.

Place Butter, golden syrup and water in a medium saucepan, heat and stir until butter is melted then remove from heat.

Add bicarb soda. Stir well, then add to oats mixture. Mix well, press firmly into greased 22 x 22" pan. Bake in 160 degrees C oven for about 20 minutes until set and golden. Cool and store into airtight  container or freezes well.

Cuts into 18 bars.

Once this becaomes a favourite recipe, you can add variations such as chopped cranberry and sesame seeds or chopped apricot and choc chips.
Enjoy!

Need inspiration? I hope you can find some here.

Times are tough, we are all watching our budgets and it is winter as well which makes it doubly hard to be inspired to cook or pack lunches.

Here on Norfolk Island, we have to be inventive throughout the year as we solely grow all fresh produce on the island, so if Tomatoes are not in season on the farms on one side of the island, they are unlikely to be in season 5km away on the other side of the island.

But the locals here never starve, there are plenty of 'other' staples to see us through.

I hope to add recipes and ideas to fill your children's lunchboxes with what is available around the island.

You can follow us on facebook too and give feedback and your own ideas on how to feed your families.
Lets get inspired!