I definitely didn’t mean to go dark on the blog yesterday. In fact, I wrote a way-too-wordy blog post that I ended up scrapping at the last minute because it was a big-time Debbie Downer to read. I wasn’t sharing anything major and the blog post was simply a recap of my Wednesday but Wednesday, honestly, was just an all-around annoying day.
It was filled with phone issues that had me running to four different stores (and the issues still remain unresolved), pregnancy nausea that resurfaced with a bang, losing my car keys and more and it just felt like a big whine fest when I wrote about it on the blog even though it was simply a real recap of my day. I didn’t enjoy writing about it so I figured you guys wouldn’t enjoy reading about it, so I hit delete and now here we are today. A new day! A better day. FRIDAY!
So let’s dive into your usual Things I’m Loving Friday post, shall we? Below you will find a short roundup of some things that are making me smile this week, including a must-try festive St. Patrick’s Day recipe, a sneaky giveaway and more. I hope you guys have a fantastic weekend and enjoy the luck of the Irish on Saturday!
Things I’m Loving Friday
- 26-Week Ultrasound
(26-week ultrasound photos of our baby’s head and feet! <3 )
Hooray for a wonderful ultrasound and answered prayers! I had an appointment with a specialist yesterday morning to monitor our baby and look at my placenta and it went so well. We got to see our little one in enough detail to see fuzzy hair on our baby’s head and it was incredible. My doctor told me our little one is about 2.2 pounds already (I’m measuring slightly ahead – a big change from my pregnancy with Chase when I was behind the whole time) and looking great. Seeing our baby move and hearing our little one’s heartbeat is simply the best even though I think I’ve held my breath for the duration of every single ultrasound we’ve had so far.
Chase is still 100 percent convinced our baby is a boy and tells EVERYONE we’re having a boy with such certainty that even his preschool teacher said, “Congrats! You’re having a boy!” to me on Monday. I had to laugh and tell her that we don’t know and we won’t know until our little one arrives, despite Chase’s very vocal claims otherwise. He kind of has me drinking the Kool-Aid at the moment and part of me is leaning toward thinking we’re having another boy even though all of my physical symptoms seem to align more with the old wives’ tales for a girl this time around. We will see!
- High Protein Frozen Mint Hot Chocolate with Collagen
Thank you to Great Lakes Gelatin for sponsoring this shout out!
St. Patrick’s Day is tomorrow and if you’re looking for a way to celebrate with a little treat that’s actually pretty darn healthy, I have the perfect festive drink for you! It combines two of my favorite flavors – chocolate and mint – for a frozen mint hot chocolate that packs a serious protein punch thanks to the addition of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate. The recipe is creamy, frothy and chocolaty but doesn’t taste like a total sugar bomb. It’s a high protein frozen hot chocolate you can feel good about drinking, whether you choose to enjoy it on St. Patrick’s Day, as a post-workout snack or a healthy sweet treat at the end of the day.
Print
High Protein Frozen Mint Hot Chocolate
- Prep Time: 2 mins
- Cook Time: 1 min
- Total Time: 3 mins
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: dessert, sweet treat
Description
A high-protein, creamy treat to enjoy when you’re craving a combination of rich chocolate and refreshing mint.
Ingredients
- 2 cups milk (a higher fat milk will yield a creamier drink)
- 3 tablespoons Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
- pinch of salt
- 1 heaping cup ice
Instructions
- Combine milk through salt in a high-speed blender until mint leaves are fully blended into the chocolate liquid.
- Add ice and blend until desired consistency is achieved. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cocoa powder if desired.
I’ve been buying Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate for about two years now and love it because it dissolves so easily in my morning coffee or tea and makes a great addition to smoothies without altering the flavor of my favorite beverages. You can read more about why I first fell in love with collagen and continue to use it regularly in this post: Benefits of Collagen. The short version: I love it for improved digestion and hair, skin and nail health as well as bone and joint health. And yes, I do use collagen pregnant! I feel like it was my primary source of protein for a while there when I was on an all-carb diet for nearly two months. Ha! My doctor gave me the a-okay to continue using it, but definitely check with your doctor, too!
***GIVEAWAY!***
If you’d like to give this recipe a try or simply wish to try incorporating collagen into your diet, I think you’ll like today’s sneaky giveaway! One PBF reader will win two containers of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate and one of the 20-count single-serving packs of the travel-size collagen packets you can throw in your bag to enjoy collagen on the go. (These are great for adding collagen to coffee or tea when you’re out and about.) To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me how you currently like to enjoy collagen or one way you think you’d like to try using collagen if it’s something new to you! I will randomly select a winner next Friday morning.
Good luck!
I never think of my car as “old” but it’s 13 years old so I guess it’s technically getting up there, huh? The only time I really feel like my car is getting older is when I want to use some kind of new(ish) technology like Bluetooth and it’s not compatible or when I check the maps function of my car’s GPS and half the highways around me don’t even exist. I wanted the ability to easily stream music in my car before my long road trip with Chase a couple of weeks ago and ordered this Bluetooth adapter from Amazon.
The adapter worked like a charm and the set up was a breeze. The sound quality is great and I highly recommend it to anyone driving an older vehicle without the ability to stream music from their phones. The adapter also has the ability to charge your phone at the same time, so that’s a huge plus! It let me jam out to the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and listen to my favorite NPR podcast (Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) among streaming breaks of Pandora’s Baby Einstein station so I was a happy camper!
- Chilly Cow Chocolate Brownie Batter Ice Cream Bars
Purchasing these Chilly Cow ice cream bars was a valiant attempt at portion control on my part after downing my bodyweight in Moose Tracks ice cream a few weeks in a row. Though a big bowl of ice cream will always have my heart, I must give these bars rave reviews. They are incredibly creamy and chocolaty and seem to do a decent job of satisfying my sweet tooth at the end of the day. And yes, I’ve definitely downed two in a row a couple times now because I loved them so much but that’s better than half of a half gallon of ice cream, right!?
- Friday Flashbacks
Corned Beef and Cabbage Creamy Leek Soup (A comforting recipe to keep on hand if you have any corned beef leftover after St. Patrick’s Day!)
Upper Body Superset Workout (A strength workout that combines weights and resistance bands for an upper body burn!)
Question of the Day
Today’s Questions of the Day correspond to the sneaky giveaway above:
- For my fellow collagen fans: How do you currently like to incorporate collagen into your diet?
- For the collagen newbies: What is one way you’d like to try collagen for the first time? In your coffee? In a smoothie? Let me know!
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Julie do you order your collagen online or can you find it in stores? Thank you.
I have not tried collagen yet, but I’d like to. I would probably add it to my morning coffee 🙂
I’d been adding collagen to my daily smoothies for a year now and I love the results! This brand is my favorite.
I’ve just recently gotten my mother into eating collagen on a regular basis to improve her health. So far she enjoys it in cookies and oatmeal.
I’ve been wanting to try collagen but haven’t wanted to spend the $$ on it in case I didn’t like it. Can’t wait to try that soup!
I take collagen chews – they are like little starbursts, love them!
I’ve wanted to try collagen ever since I heard about it on your blog. I would definitely use it in my morning coffee. And probably smoothies too! Is it okay for kids to consume? My two girls (4 and 8) drink a lot of smoothies with me.
My husband and I have been using Great Lakes collagen for years and love it! I usually add it to my hot tea and/or smoothie in the morning. Sometimes I even add it to my yogurt for added nutritional benefits!
So so glad you’re latest ultrasound went well!! Such a relief! I can’t wait to see what you have, it will be the sweetest surprise 🙂 We find out on Monday!
I’ve read a lot of benefits about collegian but just haven’t ever jumped on that train. I would definitely like to try it in my coffee in the mornings to see how it improves digestion and hair/skin/nail growth!
I’m not a coffee drinker but I love putting collagen in my hot tea in the morning. Once it warms up I’ll try it in smoothies, with the cold weather I just haven’t been in the mood for any cold drinks 🙂
I’ve never used it but I’ve been itching to try collagen. I think I would use it in my morning coffee since I am guaranteed to drink that every day!
Oh I love collagen!! I’ve been using it in morning smoothies for awhile but I recently used it to thicken a sauce to make to pour over pork chops and really enjoyed that too.
I would love to have them for my morning smoothies before running out the door!
I love adding collagen to my smoothies and I really want to make this a more regular thing!
I incorporate collagen into my overnight oats and sometimes mix it into my powdered PB.
After reading your original post about collagen, I started buying it for myself and adding it to my coffee in the morning. I had never heard of it before, but it’s been wonderful for me, so I have to thank you for the idea! I was using the Great Lakes brand for quite awhile and can’t remember why I switched, but now I’m using the Vital Proteins brand, which I get on Amazon.
I mix a scoop of collagen into my overnight oats!
I’d put it in my iced matcha lattes that I drink at work
That’s the brand of collagen I use! I put a tablespoon into my morning iced coffee and will oftentimes throw it into a proteins smoothie or a date ball recipe. I’ve even added it to hot tea and oatmeal. The best! – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com
I would like to try it in my coffee.
I’ve been wanting to try collagen to help with joint inflammation. Love the smoothie idea
I’d love to start using it in my morning coffee.
I’ve been wanting to try Collagen but just haven’t bitten the bullet for some reason. Even told my brother to buy some! I’m not really a coffee drinker (however, i’m expecting my first at the end of May, so maybe i’ll be converted). But I do love smoothies and tea!
My husband and I add 1 scoop of collagen and 1 serving of Laird’s Superfood creamer to our coffee every morning. I look forward to it daily!
I have not tried collagen but would like to try in my daily tea or smoothies. Interested to see if it helps with some postpartum hair loss I have noticed the past several months.
Collagen in my coffee every morning has now become a staple for me. It’s the easiest way to incorporate it into my diet and I have really noticed it helps me make it from breakfast to lunch without feeling like I need a snack since it packs a protein punch!
For my mostly plant based diet, I could probably use some protein from collagen in my life! I would add it to my morning smoothies!
I put a big scoop of collagen in my coffee every morning, and I ? the creaminess it adds. Although you are the one that got me started on collagen, I’ve strayed and tried a few different brands, but I always come back to Great Lakes — in my opinion it is by far the very best!!! A few weeks ago, my hairdresser asked me what I was doing differently as my hair had grown so much and was so much thicker. I showed her the collagen on amazon, and we immediately had another convert! She ordered some for both herself and her Mom! We all thank you for getting us hooked!
Hi Julie! Long time reader, first time commenter 🙂 First of all I wanted to say I LOVE the blog- I love seeing pictures of your adorable family, and I’ve made a few of your recipes and they’ve all been huge hits! My favorite is the cabbage miso chicken bowls.
I haven’t tried collagen but I’d probably add it to my morning yogurt since I try not to drink caffeine.
P.S. I think there might be a typo in the recipe above– step 1 says “combine milk through salt” and then mentions the mint leaves. I couldn’t figure it out, so I figured it was just a typo.
Step 1 just means to combine all the ingredients but the ice and blend until the mint leaves are pretty pureed. Hope this helps!!
I use collagen in smoothies/bowls, stirred into melted coconut butter, in Unbound Wellness’ coconut flour collagen cookies, and stirred into rice milk, if I ever eat cereal (I can’t do dairy). Easy way to add protein to prevent blood sugar dips!
I do a scoop of collagen in my morning coffee and then again if I have a smoothie later on for dinner, a few nights a week!
I would love to try it in my smoothies!
I would try collagen in coffee and smoothies!
fun giveaway! I actually started using collagen after you wrote a post about it awhile back- maybe over a year ago?! I stir some into my coffee after long runs but am trying to use it more regularly. Do you know if the properties change if it’s cooked- what if I stirred some into waffle or pancake batter?
Always in my coffee!
I have really wanting to try collagen since I’ve heard about the health benefits of using it from so many people. I would add it to my morning coffee and protein shakes 🙂
I have not tried it but have seen more and more bloggers using the collagen. I’m a marathon runner and struggle to get in enough protein – I’ve also had bouts of anemia that thinned my hair and made my nails brittle. I’d love to try it! Seems like an easy addition to my regular coffee or tea!
I would be super excited to try collagen but am intimidated on what to buy!!?? I think it would be a great addition to my morning smoothie!
I like it in my morning coffee, but I would like to try in my smoothies too.
I’ve used their collagen before and surprisingly loved it in my morning coffee. I would try it again in my smoothies as well. It was hard for me to believe that it wouldn’t affect the taste of my coffee, but it was true. My coffee was actually creamier and tasted the same!
I have never tried it but am very interested to try it after reading about it in your blog several times. I don’t drink coffee, so I would need find something else – maybe a smoothie? I might need some help figuring it out. 🙂 I would also like my husband to try it for his joints.
I love addin collagen to my Greek yogurt and granola as a late night treat for some extra protein!
I haven’t tried collagen but I’ve seen it often on blogs. I’m wondering if it would be good in my daily tea as I’m not a coffee drinker.
I use this collagen every morning in my coffee! Love it!
I have been wanting to try collagen powder for awhile now, after reading about the many health benefits. Your smoothie recipes sounds like a delicious way to try it out!
I’ve read so many great things about adding collagen to a diet, so I’d love to start. I think the easiest way for me would be to add it to my morning coffee.
I haven’t used it since I got pregnant, but would love to add it back in afterwards. I used to have it in my coffee or smoothies and loved it and really noticed a difference.
Thanks for offering this giveaway! I have been wanting to try adding collagen in to my daily routine, but haven’t had a chance to do so yet…I would probably put it in my morning coffee to make sure that I took it everyday…. mama wouldn’t forget her coffee haha?
I have been using this exact collagen daily in my coffee (thanks to your previous recommendations). I cannot say enough about its benefits…my hair and nails are stronger than they have ever been. I also like to add it to my smoothies and protein balls. I love that it dissolves in warm and cold drink.