Paleo Hashbrowns

Registration for the 2013 Chicago Marathon opened today at noon. It was slated to sell out in record time, so the entire world logged in and the server crashed. Over 2 frustrating hours & 40 minutes later, I secured my slot in that epic race. The race organizers emailed later that night apologizing and they are working to fix the glitch. They are postponing all registrations for at least 2 more days, at which time they will tell people when registration will be reopening. Ridiculous.

No sugar, no carbs, no gluten... 3 weeks later, I feel like I'm going crazy! I am craving everything, which is made worse all the more by the bitter cold (we eat more in wintertime), no sleep (our appetites are stimulated and metabolism slowed), and recent abnormally high stress (we crave carbs/sugar).  I've been coping by eating more fat. This probably isn't the best cure and the idea of eating fat is something that used to repulse me but since going paleo I've learned to enjoy eating fat. In some ways, I wonder if my nutrition would be better if I had a more "balanced" diet of protein, fat, and just a little bit of carby carbs (rice, pasta, etc) instead of none at all. Then I think back to how I feel when I eat carby carbs and the answer is NO!  Maybe I'm being too hard/strict on myself with this Whole60/sugar detox thing (plus self-imposed no fruits whatsoever). Perhaps one day I'll get to the point where I am a carefree, strict paleo and wouldn't have it any other way.

Brunch is one of my favorite types of meals, so it's no surprise that one of my favorite "fatty" foods to eat is hashbrowns. Of course fried potatoes are an obvious no-no, but that doesn't mean that one can't reinvent them! I never tried rutabaga before, but turns out that they shred easily and can turn into tasty hashbrowns that are just as good as the white potato classic. I actually just had some for dinner... love me some breakfast for dinner :)

Eggs, bacon & rutabaga hashbrowns

Paleo Hashbrowns 

INGREDIENTS
1 small rutabega, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
s&p

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Using a food processor (or grating by hand), shred the rutabaga.
3. Place rutabaga on a greased cookie sheet (or lined with non-stick foil). Drizzle olive oil on rutabaga and use hands to mix together.
4. Spread the shreds evenly on the sheet. Sprinkle with s&p.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms get crisp. Turn the oven to broil and broil your rutabaga for about 1-2 minutes or until the tops get crisp.