Paleo-Friendly Hash Brown Casserole: The Perfect Breakfast Dish
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it is crucial that you are eating something that fills you with nourishment, energy, and satisfaction.
This article is going to guide you through making the most delicious paleo-friendly hash brown casserole, that will really set you up for a successful day!
What Is The Paleo Diet?
The paleo diet revolves around eating the foods that our hunter-gatherer ancestors would eat. This means eating whole foods and engaging in a good amount of physical activity.
By eating these non-processed foods, and having physically active lives, it is thought that humans who lived in this era thousands of years ago, were less prone to certain diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Many studies also suggest that this is a diet that can lead to weight loss, without the need to continuously count calories.
They also show that this diet can improve the health of those who take part in it.
It is important to note that these paleolithic humans did not all eat the same. Their diets depended greatly on their location, and what was available to them at each given time.
Some ate a relatively low-carb diet that was high in animal protein, whereas others ate a diet that was high in carbs, along with lots of plants.
Therefore, the general guideline for this diet is to avoid processed foods and focus on whole foods.
Foods That Should Be Avoided On This Diet
There are a number of foods that should be avoided on this diet. These include grains, such as bread, pasta, barley, wheat, etc.
Legumes should also be avoided, such as beans and lentils. Dairy products are also to be avoided, including cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter.
Things containing sugar such as ice cream, table sugar, soft drinks, fruit juices, candy, and pastries are also not allowed to be eaten.
Some vegetable oils are also to be avoided, such as grapeseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, and cottonseed oil.
As mentioned already, anything that is highly processed should also be discarded.
Many food items and drinks that are labeled as ‘diet’, ‘sugar-free’, or ‘low-fat’ contains many additives in order for them to taste as good as the original.
Therefore, anything with this label should be avoided, as it is likely to be highly processed.
Foods That Should Be Eaten On This Diet
As has been mentioned, when following this diet, the emphasis should be on whole, unprocessed foods.
These include meat, such as beef, lamb, pork, turkey, and chicken. If possible, try and select grass-fed, pasture-raised, and organic meat if you can.
Fish and seafood is also encouraged, and if possible, try to select wild-caught fish, such as haddock, salmon, trout, shrimp, and shellfish.
Eggs are also allowed to be eaten, and if they are free-range, or omega-3 enriched, even better.
Fruits and vegetables such as kale, broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, onions, apples, avocados, bananas, etc., are crucial in this diet.
Tubers such as sweet potatoes, potatoes, and turnips are also encouraged, as well as nuts and seeds as they provide the body with healthy fats.
Other healthy fats that are encouraged are oils such as olive oil, and avocado oil.
Making a casserole for breakfast can provide you with several servings that will last you days!
That means that all you need to do is roll out of bed, get ready, and grab a slice of your pre-made casserole before you start your day.
It is the perfect way to meal-prep your breakfast, while still ensuring that you’re getting a good dose of veggies to start your day.
As you already assumed, pre-made hash browns are very processed with many additives that are strictly prohibited when following the paleo diet.
Therefore, this excludes anything pre-made and makes every single bit from scratch.
Begin by grating two potatoes in order to make a hash brown crust. This will roast in the oven until brown and crispy, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Fry together some bacon (be sure to choose a brand that is as unprocessed as possible) onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers, and spinach in some olive oil, and sauté until cooked.
Once cooked, layer the bacon and vegetables over the crispy crust beat some eggs together, and pour over the two layers.
Then, bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, and you’ll have the most delicious casserole that will serve you well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!
The best part about this recipe is that you can add anything you like to it.
For protein, you can add some sausage meat, or any other meat you may fancy. You can also add any other vegetables as long as they’re paleo friendly!
Final Thoughts
This article has provided you with some background information on what the paleo diet is, and you can create a delicious hash brown casserole for breakfast!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Bananas Paleo-Friendly?
Many wonder whether bananas are allowed on the paleo diet due to their sugar content (see also “Is Cane Sugar Paleo?“).
Despite the high amount of sugar in them, they are considered paleo as they are a wonderful source of potassium, and they are a whole, unprocessed food.
Is Rice Allowed On The Paleo Diet?
All grains are prohibited on the paleo diet, this includes all forms of rice. This is because grains are high in phytates or phytic acid.
These phytates can often bind themselves to certain minerals, preventing your body from absorbing them, which diminishes the chances of your body receiving the benefits of them.
What Is A Typical Paleo Breakfast?
A typical breakfast on the paleo diet consists of whole foods that are unprocessed and no dairy products. Therefore, foods that are high in fiber, such as nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit are encouraged.
Breakfast on a paleo diet can also consist of a dose of protein to start the day, with products such as eggs, or meat such as unprocessed, bacon, sausage, or turkey.
Hi, my name is Justin Roberts and I like to live by one major rule in life – health is wealth. And where does all health stem from? The food choices we make.
I grew up in a not-so-wealthy household that often struggled to get food on the table.
The food we did eat was cheap, holding no nutritional value at all. I’m talking frozen foods, carbs, fats, and very little fresh produce.
I am fortunate enough to have made a life for myself where the money for food is no longer an issue, and I have spent the majority of it looking into healthy foods and different diets to try.
The most notable is keto and paleo. I am also interested in only using whole foods wherever possible – call it trauma!
As a professional chef, I now create recipes surrounding these diets every day. My family are my tasters, and I strive to make my recipes as budget-friendly as possible.
I hope that you’ll find some inspiration for healthier meals from my website. I want to create a catalog of recipes that you can come back to time and time again. Enjoy!
