Many of you who watched Steph's video about goal setting had a question for us: what the heck was that smoothie she was making? We asked Steph to share with us her favourite morning smoothie that fuels her through her multi-workout pursuits.

*Editor's note: The recipe below is Steph's morning smoothie, not the one shown actually shown in the video. The video smoothie is her afternoon concoction: it just adds strawberries and beets to this recipe and doesn't have coffee!

Also: brutal honesty, I'm not a "smoothie person" and I thought this sounded gross when I read the ingredients. However, in the name of journalistic integrity I thought I should try this puppy...lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised both by the taste and how much energy I got after drinking it. 

steph's morning glory smoothie

1.5 cups of coffee (Steph likes hers Bodum-pressed...I'm inclined to agree)
1 frozen banana
1 head of kale
bee pollen (wondering where to find this? Check out your local health-food store...this stuff has amazing benefits)
2 tablespoons of almond butter

Place all ingredients in blender (Steph is obsessed with her VitaMix - even stubborn kale stalks get pulverized instantly) and pulse for 30 seconds. Serve in glass jar and enjoy immediately for maximum freshness.

As a coffee obsesseur I must say mixing my Americano with almond butter seems like sacrilege but it's good to step outside of one's comfort zone - and I have to admit, it tasted pretty good. Do you put any unusual items in your morning smoothies? Let us know what you think!

From Cinderella’s carriage to the perfect canvas for crooked smiles, pumpkins have found their way into the limelight time and time again. Sydnie, our Briar Hill store manager, makes pumpkin the star of her favourite autumn post-run smoothie. She's packed the beverage full of protein, nutrients and lots of delicious fall flavour.

post-run pumpkin spice protein smoothie

• ½ cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup almond milk
• ½ a banana
• 1 tbsp of raisins
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• sprinkle nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger

Blend it all together in your favourite appliance (are you a Vitamix® or Magic Bullet® devotee?) and top with flax seed for an extra health kick!

The perfect accomplice after a long October run, this pumpkin spice smoothie tastes just like pumpkin pie but it complements your workout instead of undoing it.

want more?

• longing for summer? Blend up our summer post-run smoothie
• join the debate: to juice or not to juice?
• learn to fuel on the go

Katie (Key Leader at Vancouver's West 4th Store) is almost as crazy about running as she is about making delicious, healthy food. She's finally been persuaded to share her favourite smoothie recipe. She recommends it as a powerful way to start the day or an amazing post-run energizer.

image: flickr - Frank Gruber

magic bullet

Katie's an advocate of the Magic Bullet. If you don't have a Magic Bullet, you can put the ingredients together in a 2-cup (500ml/20 oz) container before throwing them in your blender.

step 1 - into the cup

-one large handful of fresh spinach (raw), squish to bottom of cup

-2 tbsp plain yogurt

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1 tsp matcha green tea powder

-1 tsp freshly grated ginger

-1/2 ripe banana

Fill the rest of the cup with frozen blueberries (or frozen berry of your choice)

Add as much chilled green tea as the cup will allow

step 2 - blend & enjoy

To kick it up a notch, or for a more substantial meal, add 2 tbsp of granola and 1/2 tbsp hemp hearts. Enjoy this variation with a spoon.

want more?

• to juice or not to juice, that is the question
• eat well for marathon training

Beet, Carrot, Apple and Ginger Juice photo (okay, not quite a smoothie) from Goop.com

smoothie shortlist

Here are some great, easy, healthy, and fast smoothie recipes:

• 5 Holiday Smoothie Recipes from The Healthy Happy Life. Includes a Sweet Apple Pie smoothie that is healthy - and vegan!
• Winter Smoothies from thekitchn.com. Smoothie recipes using common winter ingredients around your kitchen, like oranges.
• Holiday Cranberry Smoothie from Greenlemonade.com
• Green Monster Movement: Easy to make green smoothies by Angela from Oh She Glows.
• Smoothie Bowl: Ever heard of SIAB? FitSugar explains this acronym.
• Almond Banana Smoothie from Epicurious
• Detox smoothies from Goop.com (scroll down for smoothie action).
• Get Your Greens Smoothie from Whole Foods. Only three ingredients!
• Paradise Found Smoothie from Whole Foods. Try adding some silken tofu for a punch of protein.
• Stay Young Smoothie from marthastewart.com is loaded with long-term health boosters.
• NY Times Smoothie [video]: Mark Bittman makes smoothies and goes over some dos and don'ts of smoothie making.

whitney's proteinacinno

I'm a vegetarian, so finding protein is sometimes a challenge. I came up with the Proteinnacinno to get my day started off right. This recipe is delicious, makes me happy, and is without question better for me than just a cup of coffee for breakfast.

proteinacinno recipe

• 1 Scoop Chocolate Designer Whey Protein Powder (or any chocolate protein, I hear Vega is good for Vegans)
• 1 1/2 Shot of Espresso (brewed on the stove is the best), or a packet of Starbucks Via
• 1 tbsp of almond butter (I prefer raw)
• 4 ounces or so of water
• 1 tsp. of unsweetened organic cocoa powder
• 6 or so ice cubes depending on if you want a frappuccino or an iced latte version
• *Optional 1 tbsp of coconut milk creamer

A little bit of coffee, a little bit of protein and a lot of deliciousness in one cup. Sip and enjoy!

According to myfitnesspal, the iPhone app I use to measure my daily calorie intake, this recipe is about 215-235 calories, 23 grams of protein and only 3 grams of sugar.

What's your favourite smoothie recipe?