One-Bowl Paleo Carrot Banana Muffins (with collagen!) + Why We Take Collagen
Soft, perfectly sweet, and easy to make, One-Bowl Paleo Carrot Banana Muffins (with collagen!) are super simple to whip up and the perfectly delicious way to get veggies and collagen in at breakfast or as an afternoon snack.
I am a veggie-lovin' lady. If you have been following me for any length of time, this will not be a new fact for you. If a veggie can be added to a meal, you better believe that I am going to add it! It makes healthy balanced eating a bit easier in so many ways.
However, something you may not know is that I am also a collagen lovin' lady. And just like veggies, if I can add collagen into a recipe or meal somewhere...you better believe that I'm going to do it.
Why we use collagen.
I can't say that I really thought too much about collagen....until about a year and a half ago.
In July of 2016, my husband, Ken, fell off his skateboard and injured his elbow. Badly. So badly, in fact, that he needed surgery on it to repair the damage that fall had caused.
I remember sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, laptop out and working on an upcoming post when I saw my husband's surgeon walking towards me. He didn't look terribly happy and I instantly snapped my laptop closed, concerned by his expression.
"The injury was worse than I originally thought," he explained,"Your husband knocked all of the cartilage out of his elbow and that's not something I can really fix. He's probably going to feel like he has arthritis in that elbow for the rest of his life."
Arthritis. My husband was an active 35 year old who loved to be outside, building things for our home, and playing with our young daughter. The idea of him feeling limited due to elbow pain at such a young age (actually, at any age) was unsettling for me.
I really couldn't accept that Ken was going to feel achy and slow for the rest of his life. And while I wasn't sure if there was anything that could be done, I decided that a little research couldn't hurt. That, my friends...is when I discovered collagen.
Wait, what is collagen?
As you might recall for high school biology class, collagen is something we all have kicking around inside of us. It makes up 90% of your connective tissue, 90% of our organic bone mass and 70% of our skin! Collagen quite literally is the glue Mother Nature uses to hold us together!
Benefits of Adding Collagen into Your Diet
Like so many things in life, time takes its evil toll on the collagen in our bodies. Around age 20, we start slowing down our collagen production. This slow down can result in wrinkles, saggy skin, achy joins and weakened bones. The slow down in collagen production wasn't such a big deal to our ancestors, who ate a diet rich in whole animals foods that naturally contain collagen (like bone broth). However, as our culture, diets and ways of eating changed over the generations, many of us no longer eat foods that help us naturally replenish the collagen in our bodies. (source) .
While looking into ways to help my husband's injured elbow, I read that adding collagen rich foods like powdered collagen (such as Further Foods Collagen Peptides) into your diet is a wonderful option for helping your body replenish its natural collagen and that could help with stiff and achy joints. My readings also suggested that adding collagen into my diet could help my skin healthy and glowing (not to mention slow down the appearance of those crow's feet around my eyes), promote strong nails and hair, AND promote strong bones (a total plus to a mom of an accident prone child). (source)
Now, granted guys....I am no doctor and all of this was me just being a nutritional bookworm, but I didn't see a lot to lose in adding collagen powder into my family's diets....especially if it might help my husband's bum elbow get some of its flexibility and range of motion back.
So, I hopped on the collagen train. Every day, I was adding it into not only my husband's diet, but my own and Alice's as well. If there was a recipe I could sneak it into, I did it!
And I tried out a BOATLOAD of different collagen powders. Some made with "ehh" ingredients. Others tasting a bit funky. And I finally settled on Further Foods Collagen Peptides. I really loved how it was tasteless, odorless and quickly disappeared into whatever I added it to. Plus, with the only ingredient being grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine collagen peptides, I was sold on how clean, simple and natural their product was.
It is now a year and a half after my husband's elbow surgery, Ken has ZERO arthritic symptoms. Seriously none! The doctors and physical therapists were stunned by how quickly he bounced back after his accident and we continued to be amazed with how little pain and discomfort he feels after being given such an injury. And while we can't know for sure that it was the addition of the collagen into our diets that made the difference, our glowing skin, shiny hair and strong nails keeps us buying and using collagen.
How do we use collagen?
I get asked allllllll the time how I incorporate collagen into our diet. And the options are seriously limitless from what I can see, but here are a few ways:
added in smoothies
stirred into my morning coffee or Alice's hot chocolate
stirred in with oatmeal
added into baked goods
Baked goods? Yes, totally in baked goods! Adding Further Foods Collagen to a muffin, cookie or any other baked good recipe is a great way to add collagen into your diet AND give those goodies a little boost of protein!
One-Bowl Paleo Carrot Banana Muffins are currently our favorite collagen-loaded bake. Naturally sweet, soft and moist....this is a great introductory recipe to baking with collagen!
Interested in trying out Further Foods Collagen for yourself? Use discount code NATURALNURTURER at checkout on the Further Foods website and get 5% off your order!
Disclaimer: Thank you to Further Foods for sponsoring this post! My promise to you, my readers, is to only promote content and products that I truly believe in and buy myself. All opinions stated in this post are my own.
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon apple cinder vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup Further Foods Collagen Peptides
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed very well
- 2 medium-large carrots, finely grated
