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
MY LATEST VIDEOS
(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.
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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!
I would like to try collagen in my morning cup of coffee.
Mitra(Quote)
I am new to collagen and am interested in incorporating it into my afternoon cup of tea!
Kristin B(Quote)
I have been meaning to get some collagen, but haven’t tried it yet.
Bri(Quote)
★★★★
I work in food product development and, while the collagen buzz has been present on health blogs for a while, it’s just starting to hit industry this year. I haven’t tried it yet, but seems like it would be a good addition to morning smoothies!
Tiffany(Quote)
I always take collagen at night with a snack-y mug type cake I make. I just mix a scoop into it before I cook it. Yum
cori(Quote)
★★★★★
I would love to add it to my morning coffee! All the collagen talk, from social media to social media, has me so curious!
Grace(Quote)
I would love to add it to my morning coffee! All the collagen talk, from social media to social media, has me so curious!
(Sorry, email typo first time & didn’t know how to go back and edit – if even possible)
Grace(Quote)
i like putting a scoop of collagen into my soup!
Bianca T(Quote)
I add a bit of collagen to my post-workout protein shake every day. Love it!
Heather(Quote)
this would be such a great benefit for my joints and overall health! i’d put it into my drink mixed with soy milk or oats 😉
June(Quote)
I have never used collagen before but would love to try it! I would like to use it for all its health benefits- hair, nails, skin. I am 7 weeks postpartum and am starting to experience all the fun things with that!
Courtney(Quote)
I love adding collagen to my morning coffee!
Jenny(Quote)
I recently just started using collagen to improve my hair health and skin. I have noticed a difference in a short amount of time. I haven’t tried the great lakes brand and would love to try it!
Lauren(Quote)
I use collagen in my coffee everyday. When I drink it hot I just mix it in, and when I do iced I use a blender bottle to shake it all together. I ran out for a week or so once and my cheeks got dry and itched like crazy, so now I make sure to plan ahead to avoid running out!
Kali(Quote)
I would like to try adding collagen to my morning cup of coffee.
Jennifer(Quote)
I’ve only had it 1x. I put it in a smoothie. BUT, truth be told, I didn’t drink the smoothie. OMG- it was horrible. Certainly NOT b/c of the collagen, but b/c of the smoothie ingredients. I’m looking forward to trying this chocolate one today! Need to get some cream to make it with!
Debbie(Quote)
I’m dying to try collagen in my morning coffee!
Kelly(Quote)
★★★★
I’ve never tried collagen before but I’d love to try it in smoothies!
Tori(Quote)
I add collagen to my morning coffee but love the idea of adding it to smoothies or milkshakes.
Amanda(Quote)
I would give the colkagen to my 19 year old daughter. Watching her navigate early adulthood and stress about thin hair and nails is heartbreaking. Maybe Im being dramatic but if collagen can help alleviate her stress sign me up!
Anna(Quote)
I’ve been adding a scoop of collagen to my daily mug of bone broth. I used to drink it in my morning tea but have started intermittent fasting and it unfortunately breaks the fast in the morning.
Lyn(Quote)
I love adding collagen to my bulletproof coffee in the mornings!
Jennifer Eaton(Quote)
I haven’t jumped on the collagen bandwagon yet, and trying it for free would be a great place to start! I’d put it in my coffee or smoothies.
laura(Quote)
I add a scoop of collagen daily to a protein, superfood pudding that I create! Love it!
Giana(Quote)
I love mixing collagen into my morning coffee :).
Nicole(Quote)
I love adding a scoop of collagen to my morning coffee or my Greek yogurt.
Kim N(Quote)
I mix it in ginger turmeric tea every morning!
Alex L.(Quote)
I’ve just started looking into the benefits of collagen and would probably put it in my morning coffee.
Heather(Quote)
I would love to try collagen in my coffee!
Rachel B(Quote)
I’ve been wanting to try collagen ever since I saw it on your blog and since my postpartum hair loss!! I would definitely put it in my coffee. I wanted to get it before but it was available at the time on amazon. This would be perfect!
Ann Fisher(Quote)
I put collagen in my tea every night! So glad I tried it after your original post! Thanks, Julie!
Lindsey(Quote)
I currently mix it into my coffee every morning but I need to branch out and be more creative!
Jess P(Quote)
Never had it yet
Nikki(Quote)
I would love to make that smoothie, it looks delicious!!
Ashley(Quote)
So I have been using a liquid collagen (more like syrup?). It is flavored–I’d love to try this kind so I can add to my coffee!!
LJ(Quote)
I have never tried it, so maybe in coffee on my first try!
Danielle(Quote)
I add to collagen to my morning coffee, smoothies, shakes, soups, anything really!
Kaelin(Quote)
I started using it in my coffee after reading your blog post. I also add to smoothies, a big fan!
Sara(Quote)
I would love to use collagen in my smoothies in the morning. I think it would give me that extra lift that my body needs.
Denise Vernon(Quote)
I’ve heard great things about using collagen after having a baby (I had my first a little over a year ago!) and would love to try it in my coffee 🙂
Chelsea(Quote)
I love mixing collagen into my water. I’m not super happy with the brand that I’m using (it doesn’t dissolve ~all the way~) and I’d love to try a new one!
Nikki(Quote)
i add collagen to my smoothies and/or morning cup of oatmeal in a vain attempt to counter balance the dreaded post-partum hair loss I am currently experiencing.
Jamie(Quote)
I’d love to try collagen in my coffee!
Courtney H(Quote)
I have been adding collagen to our morning smoothie. My kids can’t taste the difference
Laura(Quote)
I like to add it to my morning coffee!
Sabra(Quote)
I add a scoop to my morning coffee! And don’t even notice it!
Meghan K(Quote)
have never used collagen before but would love to try it! I would like to use it for all its health benefits- hair, nails, skin.
Jasmine Shah(Quote)
I like to put a scoop in my coffee in the morning but have also enjoyed it in your coffee smoothie recipe. Yummy!
Heather(Quote)
I definitely want to start doing this with my coffee!
Kathryn(Quote)
I’ve never tried plain collagen, but there is some in the Mom Fuel protein powder I use.
Whitney(Quote)