Wow! This month flew by. Though it went by fast it was definitely a lot of work and I can actually say I am tired which I don’t like to admit very often. I am one of those strange people who doesn’t like to sleep partially because I have trouble falling asleep. I decided to do some reading up on what foods naturally help people sleep. Here are some things that I have learned about foods that help you get the zzzzz’s:

Almonds contain magnesium which helps promote both sleep and relaxation.

Decaf teas like Chamomile our other medicinal sleep aid teas are great to warm up the body and help you relax making it easier to fall asleep.

Oatmeal due to the tryptophan helps you sleep and here I thought you should eat oatmeal for breakfast because it will help energize you.

Complex carbs help increase the availability of tryptophan in the bloodstream which induces sleep.

So with this information I decided to make whole wheat sleepy time cookie. Being as this is my last night to post for Vegan MOFO I figured it was okay to have a few cookies that promote relaxation and that will help me catch some ZZZ’s.

Before sharing the recipe and signing off I would like to say a big “Thank You” to all the people who have worked so hard to put this years Vegan MOFO together, the people at Vegan Mainstream who allowed me to share my recipes on their site to help celebrate, all the awesome bloggers out there who have endured the last month and help to spread the word and to all the new friends I have made this past month. October 2011 has really been something special!!

Sweet Dreams Cookies
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk
2 bags of your favorite night-time tea ( I used Traditional Medicinal Nighty Night)
2 tbsp flax meal
6 tbsp water
1 tbsp maple syrup
2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup raw sugar
1 cup diced apple
1/2 cup vegan white chocolate chips (optional, I just love white chocolate)

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix ingredients from flour to nutmeg together. In a saucepan bring almond milk to an almost boil with tea bags in it. Remove from heat and steep for 5 minutes. In a separate cup mix flax meal and water. In a different bowl beat butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add ingredients from almond milk to sugar (including flax mixture) to butter and mix until smooth. Slowly add in flour mixture. Once well blended, fold in apple and white chocolate. With a tablespoon drop on to cookie sheets. About 1 1/2″ apart. Bake 14 -16 minutes. Cool on sheet for a couple of minutes and then move cookies to a cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Eat a couple and have Sweet Dreams!