Fuelling your body with balanced selections isn’t always easy travelling but Indonesia makes it so with their reasonably priced restaurant meals, local fruit, and fresh ingredients! I spend the majority of my time in Bali in a resort village called Canggu on the south coast of the Indonesian island of Bali.

Eating in Canggu does not disappoint! My meals were delicious but also balanced in the Fundamental Four which is one of many tools used inside the Food Freedom Formula Group Course. It’s a simple and effective way to obtain the nutrition you need to look, feel, and perform your best without tracking macros or counting calories!

Let’s dive into my day

UPON WAKING >> Water and Coffee

For the past year or so I've been starting my morning with a big glass of water. Our body dehydrates during the night (through breathing or respiration) so drinking a big glass of water is a great way to rehydrate and boost your energy and brain power. This was especially important to keep my energy levels up in Bali's hot and humid climate. After my water I enjoyed an iced coffee served black!

I usually have my fluids and find myself hungry anywhere from 1-4 hours after waking. I listen to my appetite and eat at the early signs of hunger!

BREAKFAST >> Smashed Avocado Toast

You can find avocado toast at almost every restaurant in Canggu. YUM!

I'll definitely be recreating Cargo Cafe's Smashed Avocado toast at home. Here's how I'll do it!

INGREDIENTS:

• asparagus and mushrooms, roasted
• 2 eggs, poached
• 2 slices Silver Hills Little Big Bread, toasted
• ½ avocado, smashed
• Cherry tomatoes, sliced
• Arugula
• Black sesame seeds
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prep the mushrooms and asparagus in advance by roasting them in the oven for 15 minutes at 350C with a light spritz of olive oil and  dash of salt and pepper. Roasting the asparagus and mushrooms ahead of time would be a great meal prep strategy. Simply reheat when you are ready to serve!
2. Poach 2 eggs. Watch this video for tips on perfectly poaching eggs!
3. While your eggs are poaching smash the avocado in a bowl with salt and pepper and toast the Silver Hills bread.
4. Top your toasted bread with the smashed avocado, a handful of arugula, and the eggs.
5. Scatter the sautéed asparagus and mushrooms and cherry tomatoes around the toast.
6. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the eggs for a pop of color and boost of nutrients and healthy fats.
7. Enjoy!

F4 BREAKDOWN:

• PROTEIN >> eggs
• FAT >> avocado, egg yolks, and sesame seeds
• FIBRE-FILLED CARB >> Silver Hills toast
• VOLUME >> arugula, asparagus, mushrooms, and tomatoes

LUNCH >> Blueberry Coconut Protein Waffles

How beautiful is this Blueberry Coconut Protein Waffle?

The protein waffles served at Motion Cafe reminded me of one of my favorite pancake creations. In fact, I ate this exact pancake breakfast for almost a year straight!

My version, called Whole Food Pancake, uses egg whites for the protein instead of protein powder. I prefer the egg whites as a whole food, slow digesting source of protein.

When I recreate this at home I think I’ll stick to my version as I don't have the ratios for a simple protein waffle using only oats and protein powder. Sadly, my Whole Food Protein Pancake doesn’t work in a waffle iron. Send me your favorite protein waffle recipe if you've got one!

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup old fashioned oats, ground
• ½ cup egg whites
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup coconut yogurt or Skyr yogurt
• 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
• Optional: drizzle of almond butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grind the oats in a small blender (I use a Magic Bullet). When the oats turn into a flour-like consistency add the egg whites and baking soda and blend to combine.
2. Add a spritz of non-cook spray to a small frying pan. When the pan is hot add the pancake batter. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bubbles appear. Then flip! Cook for another 3 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Thaw the blueberries in the microwave. You’ll use these as a naturally sweet topping for the pancake!
4. Plate your pancake and layer on coconut yogurt for fats or choose Skyr or Greek yogurt for extra protein. Top with the thawed berries. If you don’t choose coconut yogurt for fats I recommend a drizzle of almond butter over the pancakes for some healthy fat!

F4 BREAKDOWN:

• PROTEIN >> egg whites (or protein powder in the version I ate in Bali) and Skyr yogurt if you choose
• FATS>> coconut yogurt (or a drizzle of almond butter)
• FIBRE-FILLED CARBS>>  ground oats in the pancake
• VOLUME >> blueberries

PRE-WORKOUT SNACK >> Fruit

I like to have a snack before my workouts if I am hungry or simply lacking energy. On this day I had less than 30 minutes to digest before hitting a high intensity workout at CrossFit Wanderlust.

With a short window to digest I kept my snack straight carbohydrate from fruit - in this case, snake fruit! Snake fruit gets it's name from its snake-like skin. I think snake fruit tastes like an apple and pineapple had a love child! I had three of these little guys on my walk to the gym!

The body’s preferred fuel source for high intensity workouts is carbohydrate. While having a protein or fat in a snack is a great way to feel energized for longer, protein and fat are also more difficult to digest. The slowed rate of digestion can cause cramping and digestive upset during your workout if consumed too close! With only 30 minutes to my workout I chose a pure carbohydrate source (from fruit!) offering a fast acting energy for the high intensity session!

DINNER >> Gado-Gado

My post-workout dinner was an Indonesian classic… Gado-Gado!

Gado-Gado translates to “mix-mix” and is a deconstructed salad that classically features an egg, plant based protein, an assortment of veggies, potato, and peanut sauce.

The original dish comes with tofu and tempeh for plant based protein but I always ask for extra tempeh instead of tofu. I love the flavour of tempeh and as a bonus it boasts more protein than tofu. The President’s Choice brand from Loblaw’s makes a great tempeh. See below:

When ordered at my favorite warung, they'd ask "with rice?" but from my research I don't think that rice is classically served with Gado-Gado.* I opted for the rice for pre- or post-workout meals but often skipped the extra rice on rest days or less active time-frames.

*I'm not exactly sure how to describe a warung but my interpretation is a combination between a restaurant and a small family business. It's like an in-between of eating at a restaurant and in someone's kitchen!  I believe a warung is often situated in the front of the family's home!

I’ll definitely be recreating this at home. I plan on recreating with a few more colorful veggies on the plate and I think I’ll make the peanut sauce a bit thicker than what they serve at my favorite warung!

INGREDIENTS

BASE

• 1 egg, hard boiled
• 3 ounces (1 palm-sized portion) tempeh
• 1 cup (100g) cabbaged, steamed
• ½ cup bean sprouts
• ½ cup green beans
• ½ cup carrots, julienned
• ¼ cucumber, sliced

PEANUT SAUCE*

• 1/2 cup (120g) natural peanut butter
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp (5 g) maple syrup

*this peanut sauce will make at least 4 servings!

RICE

• I didn’t mind having the white rice as a fast digesting carbohydrate source post-workout, however, I’ll likely opt for brown rice or potatoes at home for a fibre-filled, slow digesting carb source. If it isn’t a pre- or post-workout, I often opted out of the rice and would do the same when preparing the dish for myself in Canada.

DIRECTIONS:

1. If you are eating the meal with rice cook as per the directions. Alternatively, you could opt for baby potatoes.
2. Prepare a hard boiled egg.
3. Saute the tempeh in a frying pan on medium high until cooked through
4. Blanch or steam the cabbage and green beans
5. Slice the cucumber and julienne a carrot
6. Prepare the peanut sauce by blending the peanut butter, water, garlic, soy sauce, lime, and maple syrup in a small blender.
7. Assemble the veggies on the plate alongside the egg and tempeh. Add a big dollop of the peanut sauce and rice or potatoes if desired.
8. Mix-mix and enjoy!

F4 BREAKDOWN:

• PROTEIN >> egg and tempeh (you can use tofu, too!)
• FATS >> peanut butter in the peanut sauce
• FIBRE FILLED CARB >> whole grain rice or potatoes (in my case the carb source was what I call a “workout carb” which I most often reserve for the post-workout window when my muscles are eager to replenish with a fast digesting carb source)
• VOLUME >> cabbage, carrots, cucumber, green beans, bean sprouts, or others

I didn’t have an evening snack on this particular day but sometimes I do. You can read more on evening snacking here.

I hope my day of eating in Canggu, Bail inspired you to fuel your body with simple recipes and balanced, energizing meals!