This Vital Proteins Cinnamon Vanilla Latte is an easy, low-calorie, high protein, re-creation of my favorite drink from Starbucks, their Cinnamon Dolce Latte! Over the years, I’ve shared several smoothie recipes with you, but this is my first coffee/latte recipe to add to the mix. In truth, my reason for sharing this Cinnamon Vanilla Latte is in part because it’s one of my favorite flavors this time of year, but also because I want to share about Vital Proteins and their collagen peptides! Through the last few months, I’ve found that adding it to my morning coffee has been the easiest {most attainable} way to include it in my daily routine, thus we have a coffee recipe!
If you’ve followed Lemons and Basil for long, you may remember that I partnered with Vital Proteins back in 2016 for a giveaway and used their products in this Three Cheese Spinach Pesto Pizza along with my . At the time I had barely turned 30 and Brighton was about 9 months old.
Having neglected any sort of anti-aging skin care regimen for far too long, I researched their site along with collagen proteins in general and decided to give it a try. I also starting using the occasional face mask and was a bit more disciplined with my night cream.
I remember feeling my skin was the best it had been in a long time. But with a little one and the busyness of life, I didn’t keep up the collagen, and eventually wasn’t as thorough with the face mask/topical treatments either.
Fast forward two and half years, and I now have two little ones and am approaching 33. Whether from age or from the constant smiling/laughing brought on by the joy of having kiddos, now more than ever I see the little fine lines, larger pores, and all other things you don’t want to see on your face!
{Disclaimer: I realize 33 is not overly old and these are not huge concerns in my life, however to appropriately share my thoughts and feedback on the product and what it’s done for me thus far, I feel I need to share what my goals for taking the collagen are and areas where I hope to see improvement. Those goals are: (A)more youthful skin, (B) relief in some joint pain I’ve been experiencing, and (C) deeper/better sleep.}
In reality, I’ve never had good skin. I had acne as a teenager which has continued into adulthood, along with uneven skin tones, reddening, etc. BUT, as I’m aging, it’s not just my face that I find myself wishing looked younger, but my skin in general, as well as the occasional joint pain from sitting on the floor too long with the kids, or waking up with my shoulder rather stiff and sore.
I came across an article a few months back reminding me about the benefits of collagen. The article went on to say that our bodies stop producing collagen around the age 30, which I assume plays a large role in my rapidly aging skin! After reading the article I began researching collagen powder again and found myself wishing I had continued the use of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides these past two years.
Now, and for about the past two months, I’m once again been using Vital Proteins on a daily basis. I wanted to hold off on writing about their product or my experience until I had used the product again for at least a few months. In truth, with two little ones and so many things going on these last few months with work, birthday, family in town, etc., I haven’t tracked my results as well as I had planned. BUT, I can say that I definitely feel like the skin on my face is once again smoother and I feel like my fine lines around my eyes are a little less noticeable.
Before I share more on my experience thus far, I want to go ahead and highlight my two favorites from Vital Proteins, their Collagen Peptides and Marine Collage. I tend to like these best largely because they are both unflavored and I can add them to almost anything without concern for their taste.
So while I considered many different recipe ideas for sharing the collagen peptides with you, I landed on this Cinnamon Vanilla Latte recipe because coffee and tea have become my number one way of consuming the collagen. I’ve also added them to my morning Greek yogurt or cooked veggies and eggs, but in the end, coffee has been the most simple way of making sure I get at least one or two scoops every day.
Both the Collagen Peptides and marine Collages easily dissolve and mix in without any odd texture or taste. If anything, they actually make my coffee a little smoother. I’ve also used their Beauty Collagen – Lavender Lemon and Melon Mint. I love that these are offered in smaller travel packets but I didn’t find that they dissolved in cold water as well as hot. I used them a couple of times by just adding them to a bottle of water, but in the end, I prefer these mixed in hot tea. Still the travel size was perfect to take on our trip to New England so I didn’t have to pack the larger tub or put some in a plastic bag.
You can read the benefits of Vital Proteins here, but below is a list of some of the benefits they’ve seen and I’ve added my thoughts and feedback to each one.
- Glowing skin – I do find that my skin seems to be a little less dull and more vibrant since using the collagen.
- A more youthful appearance – as mentioned above, my fine lines seem to be a little less pronounced and my face is smoother. My cheeks seem to be where I feel like I’ve seen the most improvement, I’m hoping to start seeing a little improvement in some of the larger pores around my nose, mouth, and chin area. I’ll also add that I do think the skin on my thighs and arms seems a little firmer/more youthful.
- Joint health – this one is tough, I never had severe joint pain before, but I have been having paint in my shoulder and occasionally in my knees the past year or so. I can’t say that I feel like the soreness in my shoulder is any better, however I’m also not sure what’s causing that pain. And perhaps I haven’t been using it long enough.
- Tendon & bone strength – again, I’m still pretty young and don’t tend to feel any aging in this area, so it’s hard for me to judge or give feedback. BUT, if I continue to take it, I do believe it will be helpful as I get older.
- Healthy cartilage – same as above, someone older may be able to notice a difference better.
- Increased athletic performance – I can’t say that I’ve tested this by upping my athletic performance these past two months {ha!} but I do feel good! Still I can’t say I wasn’t feeling good before, thankfully!
- Improved digestion – I eat fairly healthy and this isn’t something I tend to struggle with, but I haven’t had any ill side effects either.
- Gut health – same as above.
- Deeper sleep – this is another tough one, it’s an area I’d love to see improvement in, but I have a 1 and 3-year-old, who often play a large role in my sleep each night :), however I do feel like just recently I’m starting to sleep a little better and deeper each night – hoping that continues after waking up several times a night for the past 3-4 years.
You can read more about Vital Proteins through their website, but before I wrap things up, I wanted to list out the suggested uses and benefits of each.
Suggested Uses:
- Soluble in hot or cold liquids, including coffee, smoothies and baked goods
- Stir into water, fruit juice, or other beverages
- Add to smoothies as protein booster
- Mix with oatmeal, soups, or sauces
- Add into recipes for entrees or desserts
Benefits of Marine Collagen:
- 11 g collagen protein per serving – supports bone and joint health, digestion, hair, skin and nails
- 1 simple ingredient – gluten-free, dairy free, sugar-free, Whole30 Approved, and paleo friendly
- 100% pure collagen protein – clean, tasteless, and dissolves & absorbs quickly
- Promotes youthful skin, healthier hair, stronger nails, joint health, and bone health.
- A great source of the amino acid proline and glycine, which helps promote healthy immune, digestive, and central nervous systems.
- Digested and absorbed by the body quickly for maximum benefits.
Benefits of Collagen Peptides:
- 20 g collagen per serving – supports overall health and wellness.
- Digested and absorbed by the body quickly for maximum benefits.
- Improves hair, skin, nails and joints, ligaments, tendons.
- 1 simple ingredient – gluten-free, dairy free, sugar-free, Whole30 Approved, and paleo friendly
- 100% pure collagen protein – clean, tasteless, and dissolves & absorbs quickly.
Overall I’m happy with my results thus far and plan to continue to use the Collagen Peptides and Marine Collagen on a daily basis. If you’re considering adding collagen peptides to your daily diet, I’d definitely recommend Vital Proteins!
Vital Proteins Cinnamon Vanilla Latte
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2-3 packets stevia
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee hot
- 1 scoop Vital Proteins Collagen
- Optional: top with whipped cream and additional ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Add almond milk, stevia, vanilla extract and cinnamon to small mason jar.
- Carefully tighten the lid on the mason jar, then shake vigorously for 45-60 seconds or until well combined and frothy.
- Once well combined, remove lid on mason jar and heat in microwave for 45 seconds.
- Add hot brewed coffee to clean mug, stir in one scoop of Vital Proteins Collagen, then whisk until collagen powder has dissolved and mixed with coffee.
- Pour warmed cinnamon vanilla almond milk into coffee mug, stir to combine then top with whipped cream if desired and ground cinnamon.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Vital Proteins did provide all product free of charge in exchange for my honest feedback on their products. Please know that all opinions are my own! Thank you for supporting the companies who keep Lemons and Basil in action!
