12 Healthy Recipes for Sleep-Enhancing Foods
If you're hoping to get a better night's sleep, try adding some of these sleep-enhancing foods to your diet. Studies have shown tart cherry juice and jasmine rice, and the nutrients in fish, yogurt, whole grains, kale, bananas, chickpeas and fortified cereals to lead to a more restful night's sleep. Enjoy our healthy recipes for some of these sleep-enhancing foods for a delicious meal that might help you sleep more soundly.Watch Video
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Banana Bran Muffins
Banana bran muffins are great to have on hand for breakfast on-the-go!
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Kale Chips
Not a fan of kale? These crispy baked kale chips will convert you! For the best result, don't overcrowd the pans.
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Green Smoothie
Get your daily dose of dark leafy greens any time of day with this delicious green smoothie. Ground flaxseed adds omega-3s. Pour any extra into a freezer-pop mold and have it later as a frozen green smoothie pop.
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Chickpea Burgers
These chickpea burgers are similar to falafel, but with the added whole-grain goodness of brown rice and wheat germ. Serving them on pita breads with thick slices of tomato and a dab of plain yogurt continues the Middle Eastern theme, but if you want to take it even further, drizzle with a little sauce made with minced garlic and tahini thinned with water and lemon juice.
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Salmon Pinwheels
Don't be intimidated by this fancy-looking breaded-salmon pinwheel--it's quite easy to do. This technique works best when you use "center-cut" salmon fillet. If you don't have a center-cut fillet or want to simplify the preparation, leave the fillet whole, spread the mayonnaise over it, top with the breadcrumb mixture and bake. To cut down on prep time, ask your fishmonger to skin the salmon for you. Serve with garlic-rosemary roasted potatoes and wilted spinach.
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Bagel Gone Bananas
Talk about a grab-and-go breakfast: this bagel topped with nut butter and banana slices is ready in just 5 minutes and easy to eat on the run.
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Spiced Chickpea "Nuts"
When roasted in a hot oven, chickpeas become super crunchy. They're a great low-fat substitute for nuts when salty cravings hit.
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Chocolate-Cherry Snack Bars
These cereal bars are chewy, crunchy and delicious with good-for-you seeds, nuts, fruit and little explosions of chocolate. We like the flavor of dried cherries or cranberries, but any coarsely chopped dried fruit will work.
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Smoky Maple-Mustard Salmon
It doesn't get much easier--or more delicious--than this speedy recipe for roast salmon topped with a smoky maple-mustard sauce. The sweetness of the maple balances the tangy mustard; smoked paprika or ground chipotle adds another layer of flavor. Ask at the fish counter to have the salmon cut into four 4-ounce fillets with the skin removed. Serve with roasted green beans and whole-wheat couscous tossed with pecans and chives.
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Chickpea, Spinach & Squash Gnocchi
Currants add a surprising touch of sweetness to this simple sauté of chickpeas, spinach, squash and gnocchi. We prefer the texture of shelf-stable gnocchi, but if sodium is an issue for you, opt for frozen instead. Serve with a glass of chardonnay.
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Jojo's Party Mix
Our more sophisticated version of crunchy party mix gets its irresistible, rich taste from olive oil and a bit of Parmesan cheese rather than the better part of a stick of butter, or worse, margarine. With two-thirds less fat (none of it saturated) you can forget about that other stuff.
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Almond-&-Lemon-Crusted Fish with Spinach
Coating fish with nuts and baking it is an easy, foolproof way to cook it elegantly. And it is especially nice with a mild white fish like cod or halibut. The spinach turns a little yellowy because it's cooked with the acidic lemon juice, but what you lose in green color is more than made up for in great flavor.