This post was in partnership and sponsored by Vital Proteins. All opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting Chickpea in The City!

It’s the last Friday of 2017 and if you would have asked me a year ago how I’d be starting my morning, I’d probably say with a cup of cold brew or an almond milk latte. Over the course of the year, not only have my eating habits changed but so have my caffeine habits. I go through phases like most people where I’m craving one type of food all the time and then I decide to give it a rest. That’s how I was at the end of last year. I had my run with hummus (I mean, I’m the chickpea in the city, afterall) and decided to calm it down for digestion issues. But coffee… coffee has always been number one. Until this October.

The one thing holding me back from quitting coffee was the routine and the fact it was the one time of day where I had Vital Proteins collagen. Yep, for collagen. For those of you who are unfamiliar with collagen, it’s “the vital building block of our bodies including skin, hair, nails, bones, and joints. Our bodies cannot synthesize enough collagen on their own and our diets today contain minimal collagen.” * (from Vital Proteins’ website itself). I myself love Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides since I know they are  sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine hides to ensure they are coming from a natural, high quality, and sustainable source. Many of their products are odorless and tasteless which means putting it into your coffee, tea, smoothies, oatmeal… anything really… is a perfect way not only to get in added protein but build up your hair, skin and nails.

I first started taking Vital Proteins’ collagen when I was a junior in college, adding it into my coffee every. single. morning. Since then, I’ve noticed my nails grow super fast, my hair is thicker than ever before (this especially made a difference in my life as I struggled with thin hair during high school when I had an eating disorder) and my skin rarely sees blemishes.

I would put a scoop in my coffee every morning with a little almond milk, blend it in my Vitamix and be surprised at how creamy and frothy it was. It’s truly miraculous. I think this alone was my favorite part of my “morning routine” with coffee.

But when I knew I had to let it go this fall because of my high stress levels, anxiety and cortisol levels, I wanted something that would take its place. Enter the world of MATCHA. It is as if Vital Proteins answered my prayers by coming out with their new Matcha Collagen right when I quit coffee. For those who are unfamiliar, matcha is a fine ground green tea powder that (when coming from a high quality source) that packs tons of antioxidants while not giving you the jolt of energy and crash that comes from coffee.

While matcha does have caffeine, it’s definitely not as strong as coffee which I love. The matcha collagen itself is great because it only has three ingredients: Bovine Hide Collagen Peptides, Matcha, and Coconut Water Powder. Unlike most matcha powder, it doesn’t require a strainer or blender and just one scoop in 12oz of water does the trick. It gets SO frothy and dark green – it amazes me every time I have a cup. Although adding milk isn’t necessary, I find that a little bit of almond or coconut milk makes it to-die-for.

Because I wanted to elevate the matcha juuuust a bit… I chose to make you guys a fun little dessert for the holidays to bring to holiday parties, your best friend’s house or just for yourself (and your roommate).

Since I don’t remember the last time I baked a cookie, I stuck with something I know pretty well – paleo baked goods. That means no grains, no gluten, no dairy… but all of the flavor, healthy fats and of course, matcha collagen!

Without further ado, here’s the recipe for these dreamy fluffy little matcha pillows.

You could absolutely swap out the chocolate chips for nuts, white chocolate chips, cranberries… you name it. The base is super versatile. If you enjoy the taste of matcha and want an extra kick, feel free to add 2 scoops instead of 1 or another scoop of a protein powder of your choice. I know these would taste phenomenal with Vital Proteins Whey Protein in the Banana Cinnamon flavor (for those who can handle dairy).

Whatever you pick, bake a batch up and tag #StayVital #VitalProteins and #ChickpeainTheCity so I can see your creations!

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