How often do you come home late from work or after an evening of socializing with friends and stare into your fridge, hoping a magnificent meal will jump out at you? And when it doesn't, you end up eating a bowl of cereal right before bed. Sound familiar? (Don't worry, I used to do this, too.)

Unfortunately, you may be sabotaging your weight loss goals with this seemingly innocent habit. The reasoning behind this is simple: You eat a high-glycemic carb like a bowl of cereal and you increase your blood sugar levels. Insulin has likely been working hard all day long to balance your blood sugar from the sandwich you had a lunch or the muffin from breakfast and it might be getting a little tired. Not to mention the fact that at nine p.m. your metabolism is slowing down and you are likely not going to be hitting the gym to work off those excess calories. So what does insulin do with this excess sugar in your blood from that bowl of cereal? Well, it may store it as fat, sabotaging your weight loss or maintenance goals.

Now, ideally you don't want to scarf down an entire meal right before bed, but if you are hungry when you get home and it's after nine, there is a fabulous little snack you can eat that has some great benefits -- a simple, yummy smoothie.

Smoothie Benefits:

• Stabilizes and balances your blood sugar.
• Contains tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin (a brain-happy neurotransmitter responsible for keeping you calm, relaxed and getting you in the mood for sleep).
• Lowers your stress hormone cortisol (especially if you've been working late). Cortisol is a hormone that will shuttle glucose to the blood stream and may cause you to feel more hungry. By eating a balanced snack with carbs, protein and good fat, you can help lower your cortisol output.
• Tastes yummy!

Get a delicious smoothie recipe after the jump

Sleep-Happy Smoothie

1 cup unsweetened almond milk*
Half a banana or 2 tbsp of unsweetened applesauce
1 small scoop of vanilla flavoured whey protein*
1 tbsp of ground flaxseeds or chia seeds
Sprinkle a little cinnamon on top to make it pretty! (and for blood sugar balance)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 60 seconds, until smooth.

My favourite (and most affordable) brand of almond milk is called Almond Breeze. However, it's actually quite simple to make on your own with this almond milk recipe. Although the DIY version requires a little patience because you prep it the night before, you'll have fresh, delicious milk in the morning with a few easy steps.

Whey protein is absolutely incredible for boosting your immune system health and aiding in recovery when you have a hard workout. It is my first choice for smoothies as it has 100 percent biological value, which means that it has a high absorption rate. Protein is a building block of neurotransmitters -- those brain-happy chemicals -- and that is precisely why it is such an excellent choice for an evening snack.

EnJOY!

Joy McCarthy, owner of Joyous Health, is a certified holistic nutritionist and health coach with a passion for inspiring people to eat well, live well and feel more joyous on a daily basis. Joy welcomes your questions or comments and although you may not receive a response, your submission will certainly be read and may be selected as a topic for a future column.

Looking for more delicious smoothie recipes? Here are a few favourites from ThatsFit.ca:

Super Breakfast Smoothie
Energizing Hemp Smoothie
Dr. Merrell's Morning Smoothie