Ever since my journey to clean eating started last year, I've been living for green smoothies. We even bought a smoothie app to try 30 new ones one month! To my surprise, I actually started craving green smoothies! And after LOTS of trial and error, I developed my own recipe and wanted to share it with you!

Julien's Favorite Green Smoothie Recipe
5 large frozen strawberries
1 banana
1 cup of almond milk
2 handfuls of spinach
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 scoop of Collagen Beauty Greens from Vital Proteins

Mix together in a NutriBullet. Pour into the cutest glass you own. Garnish with coconut shreds and a pink straw (a leftover from our wedding 3 years ago haha!) Grab the cutest marble tray you can find. Finally post to Instagram to show everyone how healthy you are.

But guess what, friends? Healthy doesn't mean you're doomed to eat tasteless food. In fact, this smoothie is packed with awesome flavors - besides the obvious fruit, I added in a spoonful of coconut vanilla flavored protein powder because it adds such dimension to the drink. I hadn't tried protein powder before, but I'm always up for trying something new. So when Vital Proteins asked if I wanted to try their Collagen Beauty Greens, I couldn't say no! Plus, anything good enough for Jennifer Aniston is good enough for me!

And - I don't know about you - but my schedule is pretty hectic. Anything that can hit two birds with one stone is a winner in my book. The Collagen Beauty Greens protein powder not only stays with you through the morning, but it has a TON of beauty benefits. It enhances your skin's glow, elasticity, and smoothness...plus it prevents signs of aging. If that doesn't convince you, here are some more benefits of collagen:

Prevent the onset signs of aging – By increasing skin moisture levels, the onset of lines and wrinkles diminish.
Reverse the signs of aging – Not only does collagen prevent the signs of aging, it can actually reverse some signs of aging such as fine lines, deep wrinkles and reduced elasticity. A 2014 clinical study taking collagen peptides showed a significant improvement in skin elasticity and moisture.
Improve digestion – Two ways collagen helps digestion: 1) collagen supports hydrochloric acid production in our stomach, which makes digesting easier. 2) Collagen helps to repair the sensitive lining and infrastructure of our stomach, and small/large intestines. Improving digestion has also been known to improve skin issues such as acne, eczema and rosacea.
Strengthen hair and nails – Collagen protein is the foundation of your hair and nails. Loyal collagen consumers notice that their hair and nails grow faster, stronger and more luscious. This is often the first noticeable benefits of many from regular collagen intake.

For more yummy inspiration, be sure to check out their blog! And with only one week until Memorial Day weekend (and a fun trip to Orlando!), I'll be adding this to my smoothies on the daily. Because this suit isn't going to wear itself. ;)

This post was sponsored by Vital Proteins. All opinions are my own. And my opinion is that the Vital Proteins' Collagen Beauty Greens are simply the best. :)