I don’t know if it’s hormones, a perpetual state of something hurting, lack of magnesium or just coincidence, but I’ve begun to experience bouts of insomnia. I know many of you have suffered this for years; maybe as long as you can remember.

But for me, this is unusual. Typically I fall asleep within ten seconds of turning out the light. My husband swears I’m a medical miracle because of this. Sure, I may be fitful according to my now-busted Fitbit (maybe because it never got any rest, either?), but save one shuffle to the potty, sleeping typically comes quickly and lasts to morning.

Until it didn’t.  

When the clock mocks you at 3am

I found myself watching the clock turn over several times before falling asleep, or waking at 3am for the day.  [Side note: Can someone please explain why we turn the coffee pot on once we decide to get up for the day? Clearly we don’t need coffee … we can’t friggin sleep!  et that’s the first thing I do once throwing in the towel.]

After several cycles of this, I began to evaluate my nutrition. Was my daytime food impacting my nighttime sleep? Probably. I don’t remember what I was eating at the time but it was poor enough for me to question. It probably included too much chocolate, sugar and refined flour. I’m just sayin’.  

Refocusing my meals, I began eating salads for lunch. As I’ve mentioned, eating salad is intentional or it won’t happen. I rarely desire one unless it’s chopped and prepared for me.

My creations vary but always include several cups of leafy greens. And wouldn’t you know, once I started loading up on the roughage-based meals, the sleep issues resolved.

 A salad a day keeps my insomnia at bay.

Ruggles Green Goat Cheese Salad

 I’m not a doctor or nutritionist so I can’t say with certainty that eating a healthy salad will cure or help sleep issues.  But it certainly can’t hurt.  

One of our local Mexican restaurants revamped its menu and now offers a meatless salad.  

Salads are my go-to choice at Mexican restaurants because they help to offset the copious amounts of chips and guacamole I eat before I even order. And, bonus — they are prepared for me! Anyway, this new meal is so amazing that I had to try and replicate it at home. If you’re looking for something new, give it a shot. If you’re lucky, maybe someone will make it for you. 

This gluten free salad is vegetarian and can easily be converted to vegan. Just choose the right dressing for you and omit the feta.

Meatless Salad

Portobello Mushroom cap, gills removed and cleaned

2 cups baby spinach or spring mix

Tomato slices or cherry tomatoes

¼ avocado, sliced

¼ cup black beans, rinsed

2 T salad dressing: cilantro lime, green goddess, etc.

Feta cheese

Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in preheated oven at 450 for 20 minutes.  Here is more specific information if you need it.  (By the way, I gut the gills.  I’m not sure everybody does?)

Combine all ingredients and enjoy.

The original Meatless Salad. Pay no attention to the empty margarita behind it.  The purple things are marinated cactus.  I’m not clever enough to figure that one out so it’s not included in my homemade version.  If you can find them, they add a fantastic flavor.

I didn’t use the cheese and it was delicious without it.  If you’re in HEB country, I used Calsa Criolla Colombian Salsa as a dressing.

Disclaimer: Clearly I’m not an expert at documenting recipes.  You can most definitely find prettier pics on Pinterest and probably in your own photo library.  But I’m not here to create a picture-perfect recipe (for anything, really, not just this salad), so I appreciate your grace!

Today’s salad from Chipotle.  And yes, I ate every bit of that guacamole!