Ichthyosis Awareness Month: Nutritional advice from a dietician.

Today my good friend, blogger and dietician Heidi will be providing some nutritional advice for people with Ichthyosis.

I gave Heidi an example of the food I eat on an average day (the food I cook from scratch rather than takeaway or restaurant food), and she offered some suggestions for my diet. Her tips may be useful for patients with many types of Ichthyosis, but as usual, I recommend talking with your doctor before trying anything new, especially if you or your child has food allergies - which is common in patients with Ichthyosis.

I prefer cooking with whole ingredients so I know what I am eating. I also eat a lot of food - I joke that I eat like a lumberjack!

Thank you to Heidi for writing this post. You can check out her wonderful blog here. And she takes the most amazing food photos so her Instagram is worth a look too. Heidi is over in America now and I am enjoying her seeing food journey very much.

(Heidi and I, before embarking on the epic pizza making.)

"I’ll be writing from an Accredited Practising Dietitian’s perspective in this post. Carly has asked me to write this post about nutrition in light of her skin condition, ichthyosis (you can read about it in Carly’s post, here). I was so happy to be asked to share my knowledge with her and her readers.

Ichthyosis and Diet

Currently there are a number of different therapies and recommendations for managing ichthyosis. Each individual is different, and depending on what type of therapies involved, individual requirements will change. There is no diet treatment for ichthyosis as such, or strict rules to follow, rather general recommendations to ensure that Carly is in the best possible condition to manage her chronic illness.

The features of ichthyosis which impact Carly’s diet include the rapid shedding of skin, which increases her requirements for energy, protein and fluid, and also the risk of infection, which can make her unwell and require drug therapy, which place her at risk of reduced appetite and decreased food intake.

 

A Snapshot of Carly’s Diet

Carly sent me an outline of a typical day of healthy eating, so I thought I’d go through that with you and make some suggestions in light of her requirements and food preferences. Carly enjoys eating organic, healthy food, with the occasional indulgence (hello Miss Chu’s steamed custard buns! Or maybe that’s just me…) Anyway, here we go!

First of all, yes it is great that Carly favours natural ingredients. I am a real fan of natural produce - generally speaking, the less refined the better. It’s far kinder to your body if you can recognise what you’re putting into it - anything heavily processed and pre-packaged with a super long ingredients list is generally not going to be the best choice, nutritionally.

Breakfast

Porridge - rolled oats, skim organic milk, a spoon of organic activated buckinis, and topped with home made stewed fruits (plum, apple, quince + rhubarb, small amount of raw sugar)

I’m loving Carly’s breakfast, which is so natural and full of fibre. Wholegrains like rolled oats are such an important, nutritious addition to her diet. The buckinis is made from buckwheat, and is very nutritious and easily digested by the body. It contains protein, rutin (a flavonoid) and manganese, providing Carly with a really good dose of nutrition. Carly is also getting some vitamin C from the stewed fruit, which is important for skin regeneration.

Snack

Two ryvita biscuits topped with nut butter and honey

Carly’s snack of ryvita and nut butter is very nutritious, giving her another wholegrain hit, and the nut butter….well, I am a huge nut butter fan! Going for natural nut butters, which contain 100% nuts (i.e. no added sugar, salt, oil), is fantastic. They provide healthy fats and protein, and are incredibly delicious. ABC spread is a personal favourite (an almond, brazil, cashew blend). Sweetening your nut butter toast, sandwich or crackers with a thin spread of honey or jam is absolutely fine. It’s better to add sweeteners yourself than buy something pre-sweetened – this way you can control what goes into your body and how sweet to make it.

To mix things up a bit, Carly could try avocado (which contains vitamin E and wonderful healthy fats, which are good for skin health) or hummus (which is full of protein, vitamins and minerals) on her ryvita.

Lunch

Risotto - mushrooms, chicken thigh fillet, beetroot, spinach, onion, sweet potato, garlic, feta, low fat ricotta, stock.

Carly’s risotto lunch is helping her reach her recommended 5 serves of vegetables a day (a serve being ½ cup cooked vegetables/legumes or 1 cup salad vegetables). The chicken is giving her some protein, along with a little more from the fetta and ricotta.

Other good lunches that are easy to pack for work include salad wholegrain rolls containing chicken or tinned salmon, grain salads or leftovers (make sure they are properly reheated). 4-bean mix and tinned fish are healthy, simple ingredients that Carly could easily take to work and add to a salad or have with ryvita’s if she’s running late and doesn’t have time to pack lunch in the morning. Baked beans are another easy nutritious option when you’re at a pinch (or have an old fashioned craving).

Carly hasn’t listed an afternoon snack here, but it’s important to make the time to have something. Perhaps Carly can include a daily afternoon snack of low-fat yoghurt with some fruit, nuts or a tablespoon of muesli. Yoghurt is a fantastic food, and I would really recommend Carly include more yoghurt in her diet. It’s a fantastic source of nutrients, containing protein and B vitamins. Some brands, like Vaalia, contain important probiotics for the promotion of good bacteria in the gut. This is especially important for Carly when she requires antibiotics for infections, and for the general stimulation of her immune system.

Nuts also make a great snack, as they’re full of protein, vitamins and minerals. Almonds are also high in fibre, and walnuts contain Omega-3 Fats, so including these nuts in your diet is a great idea.

Dinner

Vege curry - pumpkin, cauliflower, garlic, mushrooms, tinned chickpeas, carrot, tinned tomato, dates, curry powder from Halal butcher and topped with Jalna yoghurt.

Dinner for Carly on this day is very nutritious. Here she’s gaining the rest of her vegetable serves for the day (and probably more if the serving size is big), and she’s included chickpeas. Chickpeas and other legumes are a fantastic source of nutrients, providing fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. The Jalna yoghurt is a lovely way to finish off her delicious meal (I’m a big fan of the Jalna brand both nutritionally and taste-wise).

Carly’s dinner is lacking a grain, so some quinoa (although not technically a grain) or brown rice would be a nice addition to the meal. Quinoa is a complete protein, containing a desirable set of amino acids. It is also a good source of fibre, magnesium and iron, so it really is a superfood. You can use it as a rice replacement, in salads or even as an oat replacement in porridge.

Oily fish, such as Salmon, Herring, Tuna (steaks more so than tinned) Mackerel, Anchovies and Sardines are a great source of Omega-3 Fats, which have an anti-inflammation action in the body and so are of benefit to skin health. Carly should aim to include these two to three times per week. Try baking Salmon steaks at dinner, having smoked salmon with your eggs at breakfast or putting anchovies in stews at the start of the cooking process (they disintegrate and you can’t even tell they’re there!)

Lean red meat will be another valuable inclusion to Carly’s diet. Aiming for 3-4 serves of 70-100g lean red meat per week will provide Carly with a great dose of protein, iron and zinc. Grilled eye fillet steak with roasted vegetables; bolognaise with beef mince; or lamb backstraps marinated in olive oil, garlic and rosemary are favourite red meat meals in my house.

Dessert

Piece of home made cake - free range duck eggs from parents, skim organic milk, unbleached flower, sugar, butter and stewed fruits as above (I cooked heaps of fruit!)

And finally, dessert! All I can say is, can I please have a slice? Carly is very lucky to have access to fresh eggs from her parent’s property (I’m also in the same position but not with duck eggs - only chicken eggs for me). I’m a big fan of fruit in my cakes too, it allows you to rely on their natural sugar instead of adding bucket of refined sweeteners. Moderation is the key, and in light of Carly’s very nutritious day of eating, a slice of this cake sounds mighty fine to me!

Drinks

Water - 4 glasses in the morning, 3x 600 ml bottles at work, and 4-6 glasses at night.

This equates to 2.8-3.3L per day, so Carly is definitely staying well hydrated. Keep in mind that Carly needs extra hydration in light of her skin condition, and that for the general population the recommendation is for 2 Litres/day (more if it’s very hot, if you’re very active and if lose a lot of fluid through sweating).

Additional Comments

There are a number of final notes that relate to Carly, ichthyosis and her dietary requirements.

1. The first is the fact that she sheds skin at a really fast rate. This increases her need for kilojoules, protein and fluid. Carly says people often tell her, “wow, you eat a lot!”. But this is because she actually does need to! Carly is within her healthy weight range, so that is a good indication she is getting enough kilojoules. Monitoring her weight is a good idea to see how she’s eating in light of her increased energy requirements, and to avoid any weight loss.

Carly’s dietary protein sources are meat/poultry/seafood, dairy, nut butter and chickpeas. She could look to ensuring she has a protein-rich snack in the afternoon (such as yoghurt and/or nuts), and increase the protein content of her dinner by including some quinoa, lean red meat or oily fish.

2. The second note is that Carly is susceptible to bloating and stomach cramps after eating some foods. She states that this can be a fairly random occurrence and can come after previously feeling fine when eating a certain food. Carly states that she eats large volumes of food, so the bloating and cramps may simply be due to an overload of fibrous foods (i.e. vegetable curry for dinner). She may benefit from smaller, energy-dense, frequent meals (which is why snacking is so important). This will help her get in a bigger variety of foods too, making sure she reaches all her nutrient requirements. Healthy snacking is the key!

3. And lastly, it is always good to be as healthy as you can be, especially when you have a chronic illness like Carly. You want your body to be in peak condition to fight any infections that may occur. Ensuring you eat enough macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates) as well as micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) is really important.

For Carly, when her skin becomes very sore and dry, there are a number of foods she should focus on eating. As she may not feel like eating large volumes of food during these times, it’s important she chooses very nutritious options. Basing her diet around the following foods during these times, and staying hydrated, will help her recovery.

- Lean meat and chicken

- Fish, especially oily fish

- Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cheese) – milk is a very nutritious and hydrating option, try smoothies, milkshakes or even milk milos

- Nuts (unsalted)

- Eggs

- Legumes

- Avocado, Hummus, Nut Butter

- Quinoa, oats and other wholegrains

As an additional note, taking pain killers (if they’re strong) can block you up and lead to constipation. It is important that when taking these strong pain killers Carly eats enough fibre and stays hydrated, to promote healthy bowels motions. Adding some bran (my favourite is Vogel’s Soy and Linseed bran – it doesn’t taste like cardboard, bonus!!) to your diet, sprinkling a tablespoon of psyllium husk on your cereal and eating 3-4 prunes are good tips to help keep you regular. Although Carly’s diet is very high in fibre as is, during times when she’s feeling unwell she may not be eating as varied or large quantities as in this snapshot.

Eating Out

Carly also asked for healthy take-away options. Well, we’re really quite spoilt here in Melbourne for delicious and healthy take-away food. As I have mentioned previously, Carly is aiming to make sure she gets a good dose of nutrients, including protein. Something like Japanese is a good option, where you can find lean meats, vegetables and rice. The only problem is that it is high in sodium so this will make Carly very thirsty – remember to drink lots of water! You can get nutritious ingredients including lean meat on Crust Pizza, and Grill’d burgers are always a favourite of mine. Apart from these specific recommendations, it really just comes down to the usual take-out rules for general health – avoiding creamy, oily, battered, fried foods and sticking with steamed, lean and fresh (generally speaking).

Having said that, Carly, we’re on for Laksa King when I get back from America, yes? ;) Carly’s diet is very nutritious, and so having the occasional indulgence is absolutely fine and is, in fact, very healthy – eating is such a social experience and much joy can be gained from it. We must not underestimate the positive benefits of these interactions on our health and wellbeing.

In summary, the areas where Carly could boost her nutritious diet further would be… aiming for more frequent, nutritious snacks (Vaalia yoghurt, nuts, avocado, hummus); ensuring she includes a grain such as rice, pasta, bread (or quinoa) and good protein source in her evening meal; ensuring she eats lean red meat in the desired portions 3-4 times per week; and eating oily fish two to three times per week."

This post is part of the Ichthyosis Awareness Month project. For all posts in this project, click here.

For Ichthyosis and appearance diversity resources, click here.

 

Visitin' the country, gonna eat me a lotta pizzas. A day with Heidiapples.

You know those weekends that are just perfect. Lazy days, good food, fun and good company? Well I've just had one. It started off with bands, cooking and dinner with a friend, and ended with a beautiful Sunday in the country. I don't drive much, living in the city. There's no need to with public transport so close and affordable. In fact, last year I drove a total of 4000 km. That's it. So to go on a road trip, over an hour from home, is a real novelty. I feel like I'm going somewhere.

The beautiful Heidi invited me to her parents' place on the Mornington Peninsula. Heidi's husband Ben is away in Sydney working at his awesome tutoring business for two months, and then they're going to America for three months (I KNOW, RIGHT?!), so she's back living with her parents. As I expected, they're so wonderful too - friendly, welcoming, and foodies. Such foodies. If my parents and Heidi's parents got together they'd start a restaurant, I'm sure. That or they would talk about food for a week. They have ham on the bone and a love for different cheeses. Like me, they're wholefood fans, and adventurous. We had a pizza festival last Sunday afternoon. Oh it was wonderful. It featured food cooked from scratch, food cooked with love.

Heidi took me for a drive around the area. In the 10 years I've lived in Melbourne I've only been to Mornington once. We started off by going to a cafe/provodore and then the Shoreham beach - Heidi has lovely memories of the beach and I feel privileged she shared them with me. The sea air smelled amazing and I have returned with enough sand in my shoes to feel like I've had a seaside holiday.

When we returned home, we got started on making pizzas. Heidi's Dad made the dough and got the outdoor pizza oven fired up.



Their garden is lush and rambling - filled with roses, fruit trees, herbs and vegie gardens, plus pretty decorations that make it homely. I'm not a fan of the outdoors, as you know, but on Sunday, I really liked being outside.

While the dough was rising, we got started on preparing the toppings. I am a believer that anything can be a pizza topping, but also less is more, and Heidi and her family follow that pizza belief too. We prepared toppings for four pizzas. My contribution to the menu was a fig, cheese and ham pizza - I picked up some fresh figs from my local grocer on the way.

Heidi and I sat outside in the sunshine, drinking adult cordial that her Dad prepared - it was delicious. It's a cocktail of tart plum syrup (leftover from baked plums), ginger and sugar syrup, ginger liqueur, bourbon, soda water amd raspberries. It was delicious. And rather elegant.

We chatted about writing, boys (my boy confusion, and how she's so in love with Ben - her love for him is so cute!!), music (we are both currently loving The Lumineers), American travel and food. So much talk about food. I love Heid's passion for food - she told me how she adores making pastry, and she's always reading cookbooks and learning about wholefoods and nutrition. And I joked that she was a "walking boom box" when she ensured we had music everywhere we went - courtesy of her iPhone in her pocket. So much innuendo captioning this photo!

Finally the pizza dough was ready to be rolled, just in time for Heidi's Mum's arrival home after a stay in the city. Warning: many pizza photos ahead. You're lucky you're not seeing photos of us taking photos of the pizzas. Because we did do that - and agreed it was a pyschologically normal trait of active social media users to do this.

On the left, there's chorizo, bocconcini, tomato and Parmesan, and on the right is button mushroom, shiitake mushroom and Parmesan.

This one is the fig, blue cheese, mozzarella and ham. Some leftover craisons and garlic oil was added too.

And potato pizza - the potatoes were par-boiled, thinly sliced and then layered with anchovies, rosemary sprigs, garlic and Parmesan.

The pizzas didn't take long to cook in the oven - maybe 10 minutes each. We cooked them two at a time.

And then we ate them. With some kale salad that Heidi massaged with lemon juice to soften (like a ceviche). But not before we took approximately 172 photos of the food - and giggled about it being ok to delay eating for blogging purposes. I apologised to the kale for not photographing it.

The pizzas were served on boards - Jamie Oliver style. If you've been following me on Twitter you'll be aware of my gripe with Jamie Oliver serving his meals on boards. Sure it looks good, but how practical is it? What about taste (and germ) transfer? I wince at the weepy stews seeping into the wood one night, and then soaking up the juices of a fruit salad the next night. We all agreed that pizza is an acceptable food to serve on a board.

The pizzas were so delicious. I may have eaten six slices. The chorizo one was packed with flavour, the mushroom one was simple and mild. I loved the potato pizza - it was like eating cheesy potato bake. And the fig pizza was sweet and salty and creamy. Wonderful.

I was getting into serious pizza coma territory and needed some caffeine to pick me up for the drive home. Heidi's parents have a whizz bang coffee machine. But I don't drink coffee, unless I'm on a plane or it has some chocolate in it. Her Dad made me a strong black with equal parts coffee and Nutella stirred in. So delicious. Pizza coma averted.

Heidi had prepared an apple and fig tart which was cooked in the pizza oven. She adapted the recipe from here. She'd made rye flour pastry (which she calculated as being somewhat healthy, given the rye and the low butter content - and I'm taking her word for it because she's a dietician and knows her stuff. Even though she told us "the apples were cooked in a shitload (an actual measurement) of butter". Healthy!

The base of the tart was spread with fig jam so it kept the pastry crisp and went all caramelised. The apples were just sweet enough. It was beautifully rustic. And a success in the pizza oven. We ate it with home made vanilla icecream. Seriously, it was all amazing!

I am so glad to have made the trip to see Heidi and her parents. It's friends like her that make my world a wonderful place.

Thank you all for a great, memorable Sunday. I can't stop singing the Presidents of the United States of America's Peaches now.

 

Vietnam on a Plate - food tour in Footscray

Vietnamese food is high on my list of favourite foods ever. I have always wanted to go to Vietnam, but health-wise, it is not practical. So the next best thing is to go on a food tour of Vietnamese markets, shops and restaurants in my own backyard.

On Saturday Heidi and I went on a food tour around Footscray. It was a guided walking tour run by Mei Ling from Vietnam on a Plate. Mei Ling provided us with a very comprehensive tour of the Footscray and Little Saigon markets, a number of shops and few restaurants and bakeries. Vietnamese community in and around Footscray is thriving, and it really was like experiencing another culture for five and a half hours.

The indication of the quality market sellers' produce is based on the number of people who shop there. Mei Ling told us that much of the produce in Footscray market is sold to local restaurants and the Victoria University's hospitality school. Here is the produce at Footscray market - the greens, all things chicken - the best chicken stockist in the market, including eggs from the inside and outside of the chicken, quails, pigeons and duck - and the view of Melbourne from the top of the carpark.

Mei Ling spend a considerable amount of time showing us vegetables, and telling us how to cook them. There are so many different green vegetables, and equally as many herbs! Here the photo I took of Heidi taking a photo of water spinach.

 

The Vietnamese don't waste much, and so in most cases, all of the vegetable (and animal) is used - even the sweet potato leaves. The eggs from inside the chicken - before shells had formed around them - were sold. (Heidi and I were discussing the line we draw about what we feel comfortable about eating - it's interesting that so many of us feel comfortable eating the outside of an animal, but not the inside.) Mei Ling spoke of a store that sold the three day old duckling in a shell. There was one market stall that sold pork, and next door the pet shop was selling dried pig's ears and tails.

We broke for morning tea where we were given Vietnamese pork rolls (my favourite - full of coriander, chilli and pork) and tea or coffee. I had a really good hot chocolate. 

 

The market sellers were vocal in selling their fruit and vegetables - it was loud, crowded, exciting and a bit scary. We were given custard apples and persimons to taste as we were jostling through Little Saigon - delicious!

We spent a long time exploring the supermarkets - we looked at spices and shrimp paste, and tofu and cookware. These pictures reminded me of the Asian Snack Challenge that a friend and I did after uni two years ago. I want to reignite the challenge!

At one point, a lady on the food tour asked me whether I was taking photos so I could remember what I'd buy later. I told her I am a blogger, and explained what a blog is, and she asked me if it was legal! Very cute :)

We learnt about cultural traditions - symbols to attract wealth and to ward away bad luck, and we saw these paper suits, that are given to the deceased for their afterlife.

We also learnt that the Vietnamese who come to Australia are often very stressed from the life they've left behind, and their health is often suffering.

Lunch was at Quan An (102 Hopkins Street Footscray). We shared a range of meals which were fantastic. Pictured (from top left, clockwise) is prawn, pork and green papaya coleslaw, authentic Vietnamese spring rolls (eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with Vietnamese mint, lemin leaves and dipping sauce), grilled fish with rice vermicilli and steamed rice paper with minced pork and pork cake slices.

 We also had combination fried rice and fried taro cake with egg.

After lunch we walked some more, and were given egg tarts - my other favourite! =(I had three due to other tour walkers giving them to me!) - and saw these panda fish tofu and tiny eggplants. I found it funny to see the freshness of the fruit and vegetables, contrasted with the cutesy, highly processed food in various shops and supermarkets.

The tour was exceptionally good value (this was an extension of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, and subsidised by the Maribyrnong City Council). Mei Ling was very knowledgable and I learnt a lot about how to cook with vegetables and herbs, and also about the cultural aspects of the Asian community.  Heidi and I were quite exhausted by the end of it though, and we thought it could have been a little shorter. I would have liked to have been given more opportunity to buy produce as they were being explained to us, because after the long day of touring, I was tired and not so much in the mood for shopping, and most of the produce I wanted had sold out (I only bought shrimp paste, duck maryland and curry paste.). I was also a bit tired of my "sunburn" being mentioned four times - I believe this was out of concern initially, but once I gave an explanation, it needn't have been raised again.

A few things didn't sit well with me either - and this isn't a reflection of the tour itself, but rather a culture shock, or my naivity. We were told Footscray is largely a cash economy, and it made me wonder about the tax implications and regulations around hygiene and quality of the food. We saw a group of people selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton out of a van. I was also hesitant to buy the meat from the market because of the smell, and I wondered about the farming ethics of the meat and fish. There were lots of crabs in crates, their legs tied, and they were out of water.

Some of the other tour walkers and I talked about how this seemed cruel - they'd die a slow death. We also saw a live fish shop - the boys went in to explore, the girls shrieked at the fish being killed in front of them. I guess these new sights really opened up my eyes to the way food is treated in other cultures.

Overall it was a good experience. I left feeling more equipped with the knowledge of different Asian fruit and vegetables, and how to cook with them, and also found that Footscray is a lot safer than when I used to visit there, every day in transit between train and tram when I first moved to Melbourne. I definitely want to spend more time shopping at the markets there. I do recommend a food tour - it's a great way to experience the culture of your city!

Miss Chu's Melbourne

The wonderful memories of my night out at Miss Chu's in Sydney with Sydney Shop Girl, Sandradee and Kristy make me smile and so when I found out there was a Miss Chu's in Melbourne, I was so keen to eat there. So, last Tuesday night Heidi and I went to Miss Chu's (297 Exhibition St Melbourne). She brought her fiance Ben along and it was lovely to meet him.

 

It was an indoor/outdoor restaurant, unlike the street food arrangement in Sydney. The decor was cute - lanterns, pineapples and beautiful rice bowls made into lampshades.

Heidi and I both got these amazing drinks - frozen young coconut with lychees, cucumber and mint. I am not a fan of young coconut juice, or cucumber come to think about it, but with the lychees, it tasted so exotic. Heidi said it tasted like Vietnam. I will definitely try making these at home. So so yummy!

 

We ordered an array of food from the tuckshop menu.

Roast duck and banana flower ricepaper rolls. So plump. More filling than your average ricepaper roll.

 Prawn dumplings. They were very generous with the prawns. The dumplings were juicy. The sauce was so spicy.

Duck pancake. I seriously could have just eaten these all night. I think I said I could eat 17. The duck was tender, covered in hoisin sauce. Yummy times a million. We ordered another serve.

 Papaya salad. I wasn't keen on it. It was very spicy and the crunchy beans felt a bit out of place.

Crab eggnet vermicilli salad. This salad was fantastic! The crab eggnets were an interesting texture and the dressing was delicious. Still spicy but not overpowering like the previous salad.

 More dumplings. Pork I think. Juicy and delicious.

And this was a steamed custard bun! It wasn't keen on being papped. Oh. My. God. So good. I don't think I've had one of these before and I am so glad I got to know steamed custard buns better. And at $3 a pop, my dress size better watch out.

Overall the food was as great as I had in Sydney. It was delicious, complex flavours yet simple ingredients. Service was quick, but we were overcharged significantly, which was rectified quickly. Dress size, you have been warned. I will eat at Miss Chu's again, very soon.

Ethiopian with Heidi

I finally met up with the gorgeous food and nutrition blogger Heidi from Apples Under My Bed. We'd been planning a meal at The Abyssinian for a couple of months, and our dinner happened last week.

Heidi's blog is a lovely read - full of recipes, memories and retro-style photos. She tells food stories beautifully and I hope one day she compiles these into a book of memoirs.

I love Ethiopian food - it's spicy, meaty and great to share. We ate with our hands, our food scooped up with injera bread. Injera looks like a big flat crumpet and tastes tangy.

Heidi and I shared grilled eggplant marinated in chilli, garlic and olive oil for starters.

And for our main Derek Tibbs - lamb grilled with ghee, green chilli, rosemary and onion (top), and cubes of raw beef cooked in a warm spicy sauce (bottom).

I loved both dishes - the dryness of the lamb with the hot chilli and rosemary put a twist on the lamb I'm used to eating. I am definitely going to try cooking it at home. And the raw beef is nothing to be afraid of. It is nose runningly spicy, but so tasty and tender.

Heidi and I talked non stop for three hours. We both enjoy blogging and good food, so we had plenty of things to talk about. I was planning to make her healthy no-bake cookies over the weekend but I've been sick so I will save the ingredients for next weekend.

She is a really nice, caring person - very intelligent and has so much positive perspective on life. There was something that we discussed that resonated with me all week. We both agreed we only want to do the things that we enjoy and make us happy, because life is too short. I have not been happy in my job for a little while, and three weeks ago I spoke up. Fortunately I could be moved, and I start a new job today. I am so excited about the work and the end goal I'll be working towards. Heidi and my discussion got me through last week, looking forward to a brighter future.

I am really glad I met Heidi, and we are already planning our next food adventure!

You can read Heidi's post about The Abyssinian here.