Products
Kyla Scheese
Protein & Snack Bars
Protein & Snack Bars
Supplements
Kyla Scheese
Nuzest Protein & More!
Nuzest Protein & More!
Supplements
Kyla Scheese
Collagen

protein

Creation Nation - Protein and Energy Bar Mixes

Today’s Friday Favorite is a bit of a follow-up to my last post: Protein & Snack Bars

Today i’m sharing the freshest, most customizable, adaptable protein // snack bar of them all…

creation nation…

…made the world’s first protein bar mixes ever back in 2014. I first tried them about 1-2 years ago, and I’ve been obsessed ever since!

I also want to note that this post is NOT sponsored— it is my honest opinion!

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A few of the reasons I love Creation Nation:

1.The mixes are delicious. End of story.

2. You control the level of sweetness.

  • The “recipe” on the mix has an option for “sweet”, “original”, or “sweet-less”. So, you decide how much sugar you want to put in. Here’s what the recipes look like:

 
 

3. They’re super customizable.

  • Not only can you control the sweetness level and what combination recipe you use (see above), but you can add extra goodies in if you really want to! Each mix has a “fun” recipe on the bag in addition to the original. Here’s an example:

 
 

4. The mixes are suitable for multiple diets.

  • There are gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and soy-free options. Their flavor mixes (with the cutest names) include:

    • Vegan Energy Bite - Oat Yes! Chocolate Chip

    • Vegan Protein Bar - Peas Love & Cocoa

    • Vegan Protein Bar - PB & Jelly Get in My Belly

    • Keto Protein Bar - Whey Hip Chocolate Chip

    • Keto Paleo Energy Bite - Cocoa for Coconuts

5. They’re more eco-friendly with a reusable pouch and no individual wrappers.

6. they’re made with real ingredients, full of healthy fats, protein, and fiber!

  • Here’s a few of the packages to click through.

 
 

Here’s a comparison from Creation Nation’s website.

(I think they’re comparing to a bar that made my favorites list in the last post) 🤭

 
 

If you’re thinking that you don’t want to spend time making your own bars or bites, hold your horses for a hot second.

To make one pack (8 bars or 24 bites), it legitimately takes five minutes. That’s 37.5 seconds per bar. Plus, you make them all at once, and you’re set for a couple days! It’s a lot faster than making a smoothie or post-workout shake, that’s for sure.

If you ask me to pick a favorite mix… I can’t!

Try any of them and you won’t be disappointed.

Here’s a few shots of I’ve taken of these yummy mixes:

To find Creation Nation in a store near you, click here for their store locator.

If you’re like me and don’t live in a state that sells any mixes, you can shop online.

Collagen

Friday favorites blog post number one! I’m so excited to start this series because there are SO many things I want to share with you. Any products that I do share, I’ll be sure to give you a really good rundown of what it is, why I use it, how I use it, and where you can get it.

 

My first ‘favorite’ is COLLAGEN!

Have you tried using it before?

I started to incorporate it over two years ago and have been loving it ever since!

 
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What is it?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies. It’s made of amino acids (like all proteins are), and it helps give structure to our hair, skin, nails, bones, ligaments, and tendons. The amino acids glycine, proline, hydroxyproline, and arginine are all essential for the connective tissue in our body, and these are present in much higher concentrations in collagen compared to other proteins. (These amino acids can also contribute to improved quality of sleep!)

Why do we need it?

As we age, collagen production slows down. Stress can also impact collagen production, but supplementing can improve these levels. Collagen makes up about 70% of the protein in our skin, so anti-aging properties and less wrinkles are often reported with use of the supplement. I think I noticed the effects most in my hair and nails; they grow like crazy! Maintaining adequate collagen levels can also improve joint and tendon health, as well as bone density. Another HUGE benefit that many people aren’t aware of is collagen’s gut-healing properties. If you have (or even if you don’t) any digestive issues, collagen could be a game-changer!

Taking collagen internally, such as in powder or capsule form, provides much greater bioavailability for us than an external application such as lotion or skin cream. This means that our body can digest and absorb it better, ultimately giving us maximum benefits.

How to use it?

Collagen peptides are colorless, odorless, and flavorless, and they dissolve in both hot and cold liquid! They do not change the flavor or texture whatsoever, and you’d never know there was anything mixed in unless you actually saw somebody pour the powder in.

My favorite way to use collagen is to mix a scoop into my morning coffee. It puts the collagen into my daily routine, so I’m consistently getting it’s benefits. Some other things you could mix it into are:

  • Water

  • Soup

  • Yogurt

  • Smoothies

  • Oatmeal

  • Dips (hummus, guacamole, etc.)

  • Baked goods (pancakes, waffles, banana bread, cookies, etc.)

  • Protein or energy balls

  • And more!

Collagen vs. Gelatin?

Collagen and gelatin are both made from animal collagen and have the same amino acid profile, but their structure and properties are different. They offer many of the same health benefits, but collagen has been treated further to break the bonds between amino acids, giving it the ability to dissolve and digest easily. Gelatin does not dissolve so easily; as the name suggests, it “gels” when prepared. It can be used to make things such as gummy candies or marshmallows.

Vegetarian?

If you’re a vegetarian, you can get collagen peptides that are sourced from fish. The benefits of grass-fed (bovine) collagen and marine (fish) collagen are essentially the same, however there is some evidence that marine collagen may have the greatest hair, skin, and nail benefits, while grass-fed collagen may be the best for overall body health and recovery. Either way, I believe you can experience all of the benefits of collagen from either source. Marine collagen tends to cost just a little bit more than grass-fed.

Where to get it?

Now that collagen has become fairly popular, there are a lot of different brands and even types of products that you can buy. I’ve tried a number of different brands, but I have two go-tos. All products are linked!


  1. Further Food

This is the brand I typically purchase. You can use my discount code on any of their products if you choose to purchase. (FINDINGBALANCE)

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2. Vital Proteins

This was the very first collagen I ever tried. They offer a LOT of products for different ways that you can incorporate collagen. I’ll list them in the order I’d recommend them.

I hope this was helpful to you! Collagen is one of the only supplements that I truly believe everybody can benefit from using. If you’ve never tried taking it, I hope you consider it now.

If you want to read more about collagen peptides, read the article linked here.

If you do already use collagen, comment below your favorite ways to incorporate it! Feel free to contact me with ANY questions (HERE), and I’m always happy to help. Happy Friday!

 *Note: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, and I could earn a small commission if you purchase any of the products.