My lovely husband likes to joke that if he ever wants to find out what he's done wrong that week, he just needs to read Friday's paper.

Not that we don't communicate, but he's often woven into the text at two in the morning, whilst he's snoring away, and I just forget to warn him as we are rushing out of the door the next day. Of course right now he's thinking that he doesn't snore, but tired of the same old no-I-don't-yes-you-do conversation, I resorted to videoing him.

Cruel indeed but very amusing, especially as I experimented with how many things I could store in his mouth off the bedside table (2 pens and the alarm clock.)

Anyway, unlike the week of The Tofu Protest or the week I became a golf widow, there's nothing to complain about today. Nothing major anyway, though of course any time he wants to change the loo-roll/put the top back on something/walk the dog, that would be much appreciated!

Good thing too though, because his mates are arriving for a week's holiday tomorrow and I've had to promise not to make them eat weird food. I presume this means that sprouted seeds and pomegranate juice are off the menu as Ginny, one of his all-time best buddies, almost cried when I gave him asparagus one night. On the other hand he loves steak, thinks potatoes are OK, but considers all vegetables suspicious, especially peas.

So is there any way to eat red meat all week and make it healthy? I'm not sure there is all week.

Sure, if you stuck to small portions of lean beef, it would be possible to keep your calorie intake low enough, but the problem is that red meat is rich in something called arachidonic acid, which is very inflammatory.

Now, we all need some arachidonic acid (inflammation can serve a useful purpose) but too much exacerbates inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis, irritable bowel, eczema and arthritis. In addition, some people find red meat hard to digest and too much can lead to constipation, wind and other digestive issues.

Nevertheless, good quality lean beef can be a really good source of protein, in moderation. It's rich in B vitamins and iron, both of which boost energy levels and help to prevent anaemia.

This means that steak can be considered healthy, especially if you ditch the fries that go with it.

Now although below I've suggested that you replace the fries with baked sweet potatoes, if you do have fries, go for the Alexia yukon gold organic oven fries (Lindos, Harrington Hundreds). They're not only organic but they only contain 3g of "total fat" per serving and don't contain any saturated or trans fats. To put this in perspective, that's less than half the fat of a serving of standard corn or potato chips.

However, next time you choose a steak, try serving it with baked sweet potatoes as outlined below.

They're in season and taste fabulous!

They are rich in beta-carotene (naturally occurring vitamin A that's good for your skin, eyes and your immune system) and despite tasting sweet, actually have less impact on blood sugar than white potatoes.

They're rich in fibre too, so if any of you find that red meat bungs you up, this may er, relieve matters slightly.

Anyway, before I digress back onto the embarrassing topics of the last month, let me just reassure you that these four weeks will be much more appetising.

Steak, sweet potatoes and steamed green veg

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 8oz lean fillet steaks

2 medium sized sweet potatoes (orange flesh)

2 handfuls broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces

2 handfuls green beans, chopped into bite sized pieces

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons soft brown sugar

Black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400?

2. Marinade the steaks in the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar and black pepper for at least one hour. The marinade helps to tenderise the steaks and is lower in sugar than many grocery store brands

3. Wrap the potatoes in foil, or place in a tin and cover in foil. Bake in the oven for 1 hour, until a sharp knife goes all the way through to the centre easily. If you like your potato skin crispy, remove the foil for the last 10-15 minutes of baking.

4. Steam the green veg for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender but not soft. This maximises the nutrient content.

5. BBQ the steak or pan-fry it using olive oil, according to taste.

6. Serve together, using a small amount of butter on the potato or low-fat sour cream. Salsa is also a good low-fat accompaniment for baked potatoes too.