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.
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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I love using it in my morning coffee or protein smoothie!
I’ve been wanting to try collagen fo a while but haven’t made it happen. I think I’d put it in smoothies or coffee. ?
I’d love to try it in some baked goods!
I’m new to the collagen train! I’d probably go with a smoothie first and then coffee!
I have been looking into trying collagen since your post about the benefits, but haven’t actually bought any! I would love to try in a smoothie or tea. Also since I am pretty much on a carb diet here I know it would be a good addition!
I just mix some with water before i go to bed.
Since I never skip coffee, Id be blending it into my coffee 🙂
Unfortunately I haven’t tried collagen yet, but your frozen mint hot cocoa seems like the perfect way to experiment!!
Same as you, in coffee!!
I recently had my second baby and my skin has taken a toll. I would like to try collagen to see if it could help improve skin firmness and just make me feel a little better about my appearance overall. All focus has been on the babies. Time to do something for myself!
I ordered collagen not long after seeing your first post about it!! I like adding one scoop into coffee and one into my protein smoothie! I don’t do it consistently, so having two containers and some to go would be awesome!
I’d like to know more about it and would try it in my morning latte. Sounds intriguing!
I’ve never tried it before! I’d be curious to try it in oatmeal or a milkshake 🙂
I usually have it in my coffee. It’s the best way I can remember to take it. Once in awhile I’ll make a smoothie and add it to that.
So simple but I just stir collagen into my morning coffee with almond milk. I use a different brand but would love to try this one!
I’d love to try it in shakes!
I’ve used gelatin in smoothies, but never collagen; I’d love to try that out.
I love adding collagen to my coffee every morning and have definitely noticed my nails growing faster and smoother skin! I also love that it keeps me fuller because of the protein.
As a collagen newbie, I would love to try it in my coffee!
I put a scoop of collagen in my coffee every morning. It has made a huge improvement to my hair and nails.
I love putting collagen in my morning coffee!
I put collagen in my bowl of oatmeal or cereal every morning! I love the extra protein boost (I’m not a fan of protein powder) and I’ve definitely noticed a difference in my hair and nails after using it!
Julie – I started using Great Lakes Collagen Hydrolysate after reading how much you love it. I use it in my morning coffee. I’m always a fan of incorporating more protein in my diet and ways to improve hair, nails, skin, etc… THANK YOU for your recommendation!
I’ve been wanting to try collagen in my coffee for a while now, but I didn’t even think about putting it in smoothies!
I add collagen to my morning smoothies!
I would use it in hot chocolate!
After your recommendation a few years ago, my husband and I started incorporating Great Lakes collagen in our morning coffee and it’s been a huge boost for my skin and he loves it for his joints!
in my oats every morning!
I would like to incorporate collagen into my morning coffee OR my afternoon smoothie. I am always on the lookout for a product that helps boost skin, hair and nail growth 🙂
I currently just put a scoop of collagen in my morning coffee. Simple stuff and it’s many thanks to your recommendations. I also use the Great Lakes brand.
I’ve never tried collagen before, but I would love to try it in a smoothie!
I’ve never tried collagen before, but I’m interested in trying it in my coffee!
Also, I just ordered that Bluetooth car adapter. My aux cord plug broke a while ago and I haven’t made the effort to get it fixed. So thank you for the recommendation!!!
I put some collagen in my green tea each morning with a squeeze of lemon juice. I feel like it’s helped reduce the smile/laugh lines I’ve noticed by my mouth.
I’ve never tried collagen but would love to for my fingernails. I’d like to try it in a smoothie!
I’d love to try mixing collagen into my morning coffee. I feel like my hair and skin need an extra boost right now, and I’d love to see how it works!
i mix it into my overnight oats/oatmeal and into my coffee!
A scoop in my coffee every morning! 🙂 We’ve got a lot of travel coming up and the individual packs would be awesome!
Hi Julie!
I love using Collagen in my morning smoothie, one scoop does the trick and thickens it right up! I’ve been doing this since I read about collagen and the benefits on your blog several months ago and I’m hooked! 🙂
I’ve been using that same collagen for a few months now. I love adding a spoonful to my coffee everyday.
I don’t currently use collagen but have always wanted to try it just can’t afford to. Would love to use this in protein smoothies!
I always wish I could wait to find out the gender of our babies but I have no self control!!! lol I only really love collagen in smoothies! I can taste it in everything else!
I blend my collagen into smoothies the most! Frozen bananas, PB, milk, honey, cinnamon, ice and collagen never gets old!
I haven’t tried the individual packs- that would be clutch for adding into coffee at work!
I would absolutely try collagen in my coffee til we get all our stuff back and I can make smoothies again (the vitamix has been packed up and is in storage for now)! Great idea… thanks for coming up with this giveaway, Julie! <3
I like putting it in my tea or smoothies!
The only collagen I have ever tried is the gummies or vitamins. I would love to try something new!
I use collagen in my coffee!
I’ve only recently tried it added to coffee. It seems to work better in hot rather than iced coffee though (in terms of dissolving).
I love adding collagen to my tea, coffee, smoothie, homemade popsicles for my kids and my golden milk latte!
Our oldest was the same way when I was pregnant with is little brother. He would tell everyone his name and everything. He never even uttered the girl name we had picked. He was having a little brother and that was that. Lucky for him (and for us!) he was right. I don’t even know how we would have been able to console him if I’d had a girl instead. (Here we are 20 years later and I know there have been plenty of times he wished he’d been wrong, lol.) Good luck!
I’ve been meaning to try incorporating collagen into my routine, but haven’t done it yet. I think I’d try mixing it in my iced coffee!