Day 19 / Proscuitto & Breakfast Potatoes

Today is Day 19!

The middle of Whole30 was a bit rougher for me than the beginning. Last week I reallyyyy wanted chocolate and/or drinks (the alcoholic kind). But now that I'm more than half-way down, it's more like a countdown until the end.

This past weekend it snowed in Winston, which means I didn't have to go to work on Friday. It was a really relaxing 3-day weekend...but my whole30 buds and I were a bit bummed we couldn't do snow day the way we've done snow days in the past. Last year, Daniel and I walked to get coffee and then drinks. The year before that, Ashley J. and I walked to get beer and pizza. We tortured ourselves on Saturday by going to a Tex-Mex restaurant and seeing everyone else eat chips and salsa and margaritas...however we made it through and got by with LaCroix (our beverage of choice) and some delicious whole30 friendly snacks.

So I have been missing bacon, and we haven't been able to find a store that sells sugar-free bacon. However, we did find prosciutto at Trader Joe's that is whole30 compliant and that was a game changer for me! On Saturday, I made a big breakfast with a potato hash, crispy prosciutto, paleo pancakes, and fried eggs.

So I am on a quest to find the perfect recipe for breakfast potatoes/hash. I like it pretty crispy on the outside/soft on the inside. It's harder than it sounds! Do you boil potatoes first? Do you roast them in the oven or saute in a skillet? So many options. On Friday, I made a mush of a sweet potato hash, it was more like mashed sweet potatoes with bell peppers and onions...gross...although Daniel and Julie claimed to like it...but on Saturday, I made a pretty good potato hash (didn't really follow a recipe, but here's how I did it):

Breakfast Potatoes

Ingredients: 

• 2.5-3 lbs russet potatoes
• ~2 tbl dried rosemary (I'm sure fresh would taste great as well...I didn't really measure, I just used enough to cover the potatoes)
• ~2-3 tbl ghee (clarified butter)
• salt & pepper to taste
• I'm sure an onion and bell pepper would taste good with this as well! 

Instructions: 

• Place whole potatoes in pot and cover with water, boil for a few minutes until you can stick a fork in the potatoes easily. Be careful not to cook completely so that the potatoes are not mushy. 
• Drain potatoes, and carefully cut into bite-sized cubes (I used a fork and knife so I didn't really touch the potatoes). 
• Heat ~1-2 tbl ghee in a large skillet (I used a cast iron skillet)
• If you want to use onion and bell peppers, saute those for a few minutes first
• Place potatoes in skillet and season with salt, pepper and rosemary and saute just a bit to make sure all potatoes are seasoned thoroughly
• Do not touch the potatoes for about 5 minutes - this helps them get crispy! 
• Flip potatoes to get other side crispy - and again, do not touch for about 5 minutes
• Add more ghee if needed
• Continue waiting for crispiness, adding more ghee if needed, until potatoes are your desired crispiness. 

These past two mornings, I've made a delicious kale/proscuitto/egg breakfast. Here's how I did it:

Kale and Prosciutto Fried-Egg Deliciousness (really don't know what to call this):

Ingredients: 

• ~1-1.5 c kale 
• 1 slice prosciutto
• 2 eggs
• coconut oil spray or olive oil 
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 avocado (optional)

Instructions: 

• Coat skillet with coconut oil spray or olive oil
• Break up prosciutto into a few smaller pieces and saute in skillet
• Add a handful or two of kale (take out the ribs) - saute the kale and prosciutto for a few minutes
• Crack two eggs over the mix and cover with a lid for a few minutes 
• Add some avocado, salt and pepper on top if desired  

I'm still liking this diet, but can't wait to have some chocolate again in my life!