Sleep Tips + Tray Baked Salmon with Pumpkin and Avocado Mash

The recipe for a good nigh.....zzzzzz

Oh, um, sorry, just nodded off a little there. Where was I? Oh yes, back to reality, today I am sharing a recipe that'll help you to enjoy a wonderful night’s sleep.

If you need a healthy dish to send you off to the land of nod, then you must try this delicious tray baked salmon dish. All you need to do is make this super simple recipe for an early dinner and enjoy it, then once it’s time for bed, roll on an essential oil, crank up your diffuser and all of a sudden you will find yourself getting…. very very very sleepy.

Right now, is a really good time to talk about sleep. A good sleep is one of the most under-rated health tips. Not just one night but every night it’s important to make room in your day for a healthy sleep. Insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder, appearing in about a third of the population sampled in one study. If your constant lack of sleep is negatively affecting your mental health, click here to get the support you deserve today. For a dynamic calming duo why not try my Chamomile and Lavender Tea.

So why do we need sleep? Well, sleep helps your body reset and recover, it can help reduce stress, improve your memory and even lower your blood pressure by encouraging a steady state of relaxation.  To feel energised during the day, getting enough quality sleep is imperative.  Do you ever notice that your sleep helps you to remember and process things better during the day?  You feel more switched on and you seem to have the mental acuity to make the most of each day? That is due to  our memories being reactivated, strengthening of brain cell connections, and information being transferred from short to long-term. During sleep, the brain replays memories that you have had during the day which strengthen neural connections.

A good sleep can help build your immunity and conversely, it can also have the opposite effect,  draining your immune system by running yourself to the limit.  Having a susceptible immune system can also keep you lying awake at night.

To ensure quality and quantity sleep, implementing your own sleep routine can make a big difference.  Just introducing a few simple, helpful habits can make the world of difference to the way you sleep and the length and depth of your sleep. Eating the right foods at the right time such as having dinner earlier in the evening, will also go a long way to improving your sleep, and your digestion!.

Other tips to help sleep are screening off your phone, computer or TV, and easing off the accelerator as the evening approaches. Winding down and relaxing after dinner can help your body get into rest and digest mode.  Going to bed at the same time each night will enable a better sleep pattern.

Most people need around 7-8 hours of sleep a night but spending too long in bed can also be detrimental. Need more sleep tips? Check out Consumer Mattress Guide, they have a ton of helpful articles you'll love.

I like to create a space for new, restful, in-the-moment energy, so aroma is where I like to start. Recently, I've been using The Goodnight Co’s natural Immunity Boost Kit. It includes expertly blended Immunity Pure Essential Oil and Immunity Roll On to pop in your diffuser or on the go and it’s safe for the whole family to use. You can also go about your day and sleep without sniffles as the range features Cold + Flu Drops to naturally ease symptoms of cold and flu viruses, and even seasonal allergies.  These 100% natural blends combine the power of seven essential oils, with ingredients famed for antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic and antiviral properties to help ease your body and soothe your mind. It's my nightly routine and it works for me.

But let’s back-up a bit to dinner, with this immune and sleep delicious dish. Tray baked salmon with pumpkin and avocado mash will keep your belly and mind happy. It includes butternut pumpkin which is great for immunity. One cup of cooked pumpkin provides Vitamin A, C and E. Studies show that vitamin A can strengthen your immune system and help fight infections. Sesame seeds contain tryptophan which is used by the brain to produce neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin that help you relax and go to sleep.  The tiny seeds also contain calcium which helps the brain use tryptophan to manufacture melatonin.

I hope you enjoy this tasty and peaceful recipe and add it to your weekly menu plans. Give it a go and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Tray Baked Salmon with Pumpkin and Avocado Mash 

Serves 3 

Ingredients 

• 1 butternut pumpkin chopped into small cubes
• 1 tsp cinnamon 
• 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil  
• 3 salmon fillets skin on 
• 1 TBS chopped fresh parsley (great for sleep!) 
• 1 tsp cumin (great for insomnia!) 
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1 TBS sesame seeds 
• 1 TBS lemon zest 
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 3 lemon slices, halved
• Pinch sea salt and black pepper  

Avocado Mash 

• 1 avocado, diced into cubes 
• 2 TBS coriander, chopped 
• 2 TBS  parsley, chopped 
• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 TBS lemon juice 
• Pinch sea salt 

To serve 

Large handful of rocket 

Method 

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius 

Place baking paper on a baking sheet and add pumpkin 

Splosh on 1 TBS olive oil, then sprinkle with cinnamon 

Roast for 15 minutes 

In the meantime place parsley, cumin, garlic, sesame seeds, lemon zest and 2 TBS lemon juice, 2 TBS olive oil and salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to blend, place blend over salmon fillets, rubbing it in to stay put

Remove tray from the oven, add the salmon fillets, and lemon slices into the tray with the pumpkin.  Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until salmon is cooked to your liking 

Whilst the salmon is cooking make the mash by combining all of the ingredients into a bowl and smashing with a fork 

Once the salmon is cooked,  serve with rocket and avocado mash.   

Give it a shot and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Lee xo