Acai & Berry Smoothie Bowl and Three Reasons Why I Use Collagen Daily

Two of my recent obsessions- acai bowls and collagen- are the main topics of today’s post. While my love of acai bowls started long before our trip to Maui, memories of smoothie bowls on the beach make having this breakfast infinitely better (especially if you are eating it before a work day). Collagen is another love affair of mine. I’ve written about this before, but around the time I turned 30, I became kind of obsessed with skincare. MJD says a bit too obsessed every time he sees me in a scary sheet mask 😉 , but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

Collagen seems to be everywhere when it comes to skin care these days- whether you are ingesting it or using it on your skin (I happen to do both).  It is an essential protein in our bodies that is found in our skin, hair, nails, muscles, joints… it’s a pretty big deal! For the last several months I’ve been using a collagen serum- Ole Henriksen Truth Serum to be specific- and started drinking it as well in the last several weeks- thanks to Vital Proteins.  To me, there are three reasons why I’m hitching a ride on the collagen train and using it daily:

• My skin- Within just a few weeks of using Ole Henriksen’s collagen and vitamin C infused serum, I started receiving compliments from friends and family that my skin was glowing. Pretty much was instantly hooked after that 🙂 But here’s why it’s happening- collagen is responsible for the elasticity of our skin, the plumpness and helps to fill in fine lines and repair dead skin cells. Who doesn’t want that? After adding in Vital Proteins to the mix, I can honestly say my skin has never looked better.
• My hair and nails- For years I’ve had trouble with the strength of my hair and nails- both being a bit more brittle than I’d like them to be. My nails are stronger than ever while using Vital Proteins- less prone to breakage for silly things like typing and they even look good after removing (more like picking off) a gel manicure. As for hair, I know I’ll never be someone with voluptuous locks, but I do feel like my hair is breaking less and growing just a bit faster than it did when I was only taking biotin.
• My stomach- Without getting too TMI in this post, Vital Proteins is said to help with digestion and I feel like it totally does. I feel less bloated when I keep up with regular daily use and I just all around feel good.

My preferred way of getting my collagen in is always with a smoothie or smoothie bowl. After discovering frozen acai packs at Whole Foods, this Acai and Berry Smoothie Bowl has been at the top of my breakfast list! It’s delicious, healthy and helps me feel/look good- talk about a triple threat!

xoxo, Jenna

You’ll Need:

Makes one smoothie bowl

• 1/2 of a cup almond milk
• 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen peptides (also comes in these handy single serve packets seen in the pics above)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter
• 1 packet of frozen unsweetened acai (I use Sambazon pure unsweetened acai)
• 3/4 of a cup frozen berries
• Two to three ice cubes (for consistency)
• Drizzle of honey (as needed for a bit of sweetness)
• Favorite smoothie toppings (I like granola and almonds for crunch and berries for extra fruit!)

To Make:

Add almond milk to blender and pour collagen peptides directly into liquid.

Top with banana, nut butter, acai, berries, ice cubes and honey.

Blend until you reach a thicker smoothie consistency.

Pour in bowl and top with favorite toppings.

FYI- Vital Proteins provided me with complimentary products. All opinions and images are my own.