Trudi's 30-Day Meal Challenge

I've never been one to back down from a challenge - and this one's been very interesting.

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Two quick notes and then I'll update
you on Trudi's 30 Day Meal Challenge.

1. Dinosaur T-Shirts

We have THREE of the new Dino t-shirts
left.

XL - blue with white letters.

$19.95 plus shipping and handling for
one shirt.

$49.95 plus shipping and handling for
all three.

If you want one (or all three), shoot me
an email.

First come, first served.

2. The Strength Training Q and A

We just released my Strength Training
Q and A in hard-copy and PDF editions -
and it's also out there in Kindle - so you
can grab the little monster in whatever
format you prefer:

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool-qanda.html

By the way, the Q and A course is
no. 1 in a series of Q and A courses.
No. 2  in the series will be available
very soon.

3. Trudi's 30 Day Meal Challenge

Back in late August, Trudi decided
that she wanted to try some new and
different meals.

"We're in a rut," she said. "We need to
shake things up."

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I want all the flavors in the world," she
said. "I want every meal to be different
and exciting. I want to try new foods
from around the world. Things we never
eat."

"Then go ahead and do it," I said. "Try
anything you'd like."

"No, I'm not going to cook two meals
all the time - you have to join me," she
said. "And I want you to help me cook
them."

"Sure, no problem," I said. 'Let's do
burgers for dinner. I'll cook them."

She shook her head.

"No, I want to try something totally
different."

"Okay, we'll do cheeseburgers."

"No, that's not different."

"What do you want to do?" I asked.

"I want to try all vegetarian meals for
30 days," she said. "That would be
totally different."

And before I could say anything, she
made it impossible for me to say
"No."

"We can make it a 30-day challenge,"
she said. "You like challenges, don't
you?"

Challenges?

Of course, I like challenges.

That's part of being a Dinosaur.

Dinosaurs love challenges.

You can't say "no" to a challenge.

And that's how we ended up living
on nothing but plant-based meals
for the past three weeks.

You can see many of them at my
Instagram account:

https://www.instagram.com/brooks_kubik/?hl=en

So far, it's been pretty easy - and
pretty tasty.

Tuscan white bean soup.

We've had Indian curries, Thai veggie
rolls, Tuscan white bean soup,
Moroccan lentil stew, veggie pizza,
some killer veggie burgers and an
absolutely awesome hippie loaf and
oven-roasted potatoes that was one
of the best dinners I've ever had in
my life.

Hippie loaf (vegetarian meatloaf) with oven-roasted potato wedges. This was amazing. Who would have guessed?

We make everything from scratch,
and yes, I help with the meals - in
fact, I'm having so much fun that I
end up doing most of the cooking.

Moroccan lentil stew with potatoes.

We both feel great - healthy and
strong - and we're having a blast.

We're also saving a ton of money
on meals, which is always a plus.

Making our own vegetable broth for cooking.

Anyhow, that's the update on the
30-Day Meal Challenge. Let me
know if you want to hear more
about it, and if you'd like some
recipes and meal plans.

And if you have any questions
about Trudi's 30-Day Challenge,
fire them in.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. If you don't have the Strength
Training Q and A, grab it now:

http://www.brookskubik.com/oldschool-qanda.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are
right here at Dino Headquarters:

Hard-copy and PDF

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

Kindle

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day

"Train for strength, eat for health,
and welcome new challenges."

- Brooks Kubik

BEFORE YOU LEAVE . . .

We have more than 25 Dinosaur Training books and courses in the Kindle bookstore - here are several of them - head on over and take a look at the others:

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

http://www.brookskubik.com/kindle.html

The Dinosaur Diet (with Photos)

 

Dinosaur Lunch (the Movie).

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Several readers have asked me to share
a typical daily menu here at Dino Head-
quarters.

"Tel us what you eat in a typical day," they
say. "Including the in-between meal snacks."

So here goes.

First of all, there are no in-between meal
snacks. Three meals a day is more than
enough for this 58-year old Dino.

Also, there are no protein shakes or
blender bombers or pre-workout energy
drinks. I get my nutrition from real food.
Real food is cheaper, tastier, and much
healthier.

Note that everything other than salmon
comes from our backyard or our favorite
farmer's market -- meaning that we buy
our food directly from local growers. That's
good for the local economy, and helps
assure that we have local sources of
fresh, high quality food.

Our food is chemical-free and "organic"
in the true sense of the word. Grass-fed
beef, eggs from free-range, scratch in
the dirt chickens, veggies grown in
compost (rather than with chemicals),
etc.

It's affordable because we buy local
and we buy directly from the growers.
There's no middle man. My food dollars
go to the local farmer or grower, and to
no one else.

I eat a low-carb diet, and I don't eat any
grains or dairy products. Sometimes I
have rice with dinner, but usually I skip
it.

Anyhow, here's a typical daily menu:

Dinosaur breakfast.

Breakfast

4 eggs, scrambled or cooked in an omelet

Bacon (from pastured pork, minimally
processed)

one or two very small potatoes

salad made from mixed greens or sliced
tomatoes, cucumbers or radishes

coffee

Note: I usually mix the potato and the bacon
with the eggs, and serve the other veggies on
the side.

Dinosaur lunch.

Lunch

8 - 12 oz. ground beef patties

large green salad

in season treat: sliced apple or other locally
grown fresh fruit on the salad

Note: I don't use salad dressing, but
sometimes I put some olive oil and
fresh lemon juice on the salad.

water and coffee

Dinosaur dinner.

Dinner

8 - 12 oz. beef, pork or wild salmon

Note: the price of salmon has gone through
the roof, so we'll be sticking to locally raised
beef and pork unless and until it comes back
down.

salad (same as lunch)

1 or 2 cooked vegetables

1 glass red wine

water

And that's it.  Tons of nutrition, lots of flavor,
and it's all fast and easy to prepare.

You can read more about my daily diet, and
how I use real food to build lifelong strength
and health in Knife, Fork, Muscle.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter and
Instagram, and friend me on Facebook for
photos of my meals -- and other fun stuff.
You can find me at "Brooks Kubik" or by
using #brookskubik or #dinosaurtraining.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Go here to grab Knife, Fork, Muscle in
the hard copy edition:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in a
series of four Kindle e-books. Go here to grab
the first three books in the series -- and note
that Kindle bundles them now, so you can
grab all three with one purchase by clicking
on the photo that shows all three books:

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 2

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html 

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html 

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right
here at Dino Headquarters:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Real food builds real
muscle." -- Brooks Kubik

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Real Food Builds Real Muscle!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so a short video clip must be worth 10,000 words or more.

Here's the haul from this morning's trip to the farmer's market.  It's pretty much food for the entire week, all of it locally grown or locally raised, and all of it 100% organic in the true sense of the word -- meaning that it comes from small growers who don't use chemicals.

This is real food -- and real food plus real training builds real muscle.

Fresh greens, spring mix, potatoes, sweet potatoes, grass fed beef, free range eggs, bacon from pastured pork,  apples, cabbage, green onions, and (of course) Dinosaur Kale.

Plus TWO bunches of flowers for Trudi. #flowers4trudi #smarthusband

For more about a healthy diet for strength training and muscle building, grab Knife, Fork, Muscle.  It's available in your choice of hard copy or a series of Kindle e-books that are available for immediate download: 

Hard copy

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

Kindle e-book

Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 1
(covers protein for strength training -- how much,
the best sources of hiqh quality protein, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle01_kindle.html


Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 2
(covers healthy and unhealthy carbs, vegetables,
starchy vegetables, grains and gluten issues,
organic vs. conventional foods, gardening,
growing your own vegetables, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle02_kindle.html


Knife, Fork, Muscle, Book 3
(covers healthy and unhealthy fats,
food allergies and how to avoid them,
chemical allergies and how to
avoid them, etc.)

http://www.brookskubik.com/knifeforkmuscle03_kindle.html

We have one more e-book to finish to complete
the series. Be looking for it soon.

In the meantime, thanks for reading. If you train
today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

The Farmer's Market Report

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

It's a cold, wet, windy day here in Louisville.

Not winter weather, and certainly not as wet
as the East Coast of the United States, but
certainly not summer weather.

Of course, that was no excuse to skip going
to the Farmer's Market.

We have a number of terrific farmer's
markets here in Louisville, and our favorite
market is open all year round. I've stood in
the snow and bought meat, eggs and locally
grown salad greens from some of our hardiest
local farmers and growers. (The greens were
from a grower who uses hydroponic beds in
a heated greenhouse during the winter.)

Anyhow, Trudi had to go to work today,
so I dropped her off and then swung over
the grab our food for the week.

We buy almost everything at the Farmer's
Market. It's fresh, local, seasonal, and real
world organic -- meaning it's drug-free,
chemical-free, hormone-free food.

And when you buy from local farmers and
growers you eliminate the middleman --
which means your food dollars go toward
the cost of the food, and nothing else.

That makes it surprisingly affordable.

In Knife, Fork, Muscle, I compare the cost
of a fast food dinner for a family of four
compared to a home-cooked dinner for the
same family using ingredients purchased
at the local farmer's market. I used the
actual prices for items I had purchased
that very day to do the math and make
the comparison.

And guess what?

The home-cooked meal with grass fed
beef, fresh veggies, and fresh fruit for
desert was LESS than the cost of the
fast food dinner!

As I said, when you buy direct from local
farmers and growers, you can buy high
quality fresh food at very reasonable
prices.

In any case, you would have laughed to
see me as I walked from one end of the
market to the next.

I ended up with four dozen eggs, a cooler
full of fresh meat, two bundles of kale,
three pounds of potatoes, a large butternut
squash, plenty of end of the season tomatoes,
garlic, two huge bags of salad greens, some
shitake mushrooms, one small pumpkin, and
two big bouquets of autumn flowers for Trudi.

I don't eat cheese, but Trudi does -- and she
buys local cheese at the Farmer's Market. But
we didn't need any today.

We also can get pickles, spices, herbs, peppers,
green beans, egg plant, cabbage, chard, collard
greens, apples, berries, whole grain bread and
other products, cornmeal, Indian corn, honey
and pretty much anything else we might
want for ourselves or for dinner guests.

The only thing we get at the grocery store is
fresh fish, olive oil, butter, cleaning products,
paper towels, cat food (we have two cats),
and one or two other small items. But most
of our food -- other than what we grow in
our garden -- comes from the Saturday trip
to the Farmer's Market.

I'll be training later today, and hitting it hard
and heavy. It's nice to know that I'll be getting
my post workout nutrition -- a/k/a dinner --
from fresh, healthy and delicious local
food.

As always, thanks for reading and have a
great day. If you train today, make it a good
one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover diet and nutrition for strength
training, bodybuilding and lifelong health
in Knife, Fork, Muscle. Go here to grab the
little monster in hard copy:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

We're also releasing Knife, Fork, Muscle in
 a series of Kindle e-books. You can find
links to the first three books in the e-book
series right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 2. Thought for the Day: "Train hard, eat
smart, and good things will happen."
-- Brooks Kubik

***********************************************************************************

A Diet and Nutrition Tip for Dinosaurs!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

2015 is here, and everyone's thinking about
diet and nutrition.

That's both good and bad.

It's good because diet and nutrition works
hand in hand with your training to build strength
and health.

It's bad because there's so much crazy stuff
floating around -- and it's very easy to get
caught up in the diet and nutrition nonsense,
just as it's very easy to get caught up in the
training nonsense that floats around.

So I'm going to share more diet and nutrition
tips this year than in previous years.

Starting with a little tip about Irish green kelp.

Back in the day, gym owner Vince Gironda
always urged bodybuilders to take kelp tablets.

He believed that the iodine and other minerals
in the kelp tablets sped up the metabolism
and helped carve razor sharp definition.

That may or may not be true. I took kelp
tablets by the handful, and they never did
anything for me.

But fast forward to January 5, 2014. As in,
yesterday.

Trudi is making soup stock from two Dino-
sized duck breasts. She's had it simmering for
over 24 hours, with garlic, onions and spices.
It smells great.

She wants to add some turkey meatballs, so
we run over to the Root Cellar to grab some
ground turkey.

The Root Cellar is a very cool place. It's an old-
fashioned corner grocery store stocked entirely
with local foods. Everything is grown or raised
within 150 miles of Louisville. And much of it is
organic in the true sense of the word -- not big
box organic, but what gardening guru Eliot
Coleman calls "deep organic." Meaning it
comes from local growers who put their
hearts and souls into what they grow.

When we get there, we remember that we're
low on eggs, so we grab a dozen.

"You'll like them," says the friendly young man
working the cash register. "They're extra big."

He opens the carton and shows us.

And he's right.

These are ostrich eggs. At least, they look like
ostrich eggs. They're enormous.

"Why are they so big?" we ask.

"The farmer started feeding Irish green kelp to
his chickens. As soon as he did, they started
laying these really big eggs."

Which shows that it's a good idea to get to
know your local farmers. And to ask this kind
of question. You learn some interesting things.

When we got home, we weighed some regular
size eggs from another local farmer and
compared them to the giant eggs.

The regular size eggs weighed 1.8 ounces
apiece.

The giant eggs weighed 2.8 ounces.

That means the giant eggs are more than 60
percent higher in protein than the regular size
eggs.

I can only assume that the eggs are also much
higher in minerals -- and in omega 3 fatty acids.

How could they not be if the chickens eat Irish
green kelp every day?

So here's the diet and nutrition tip of the day:

Irish green kelp.

But not in tablets. In your food.

Try looking for local eggs from a farmer who
feeds Irish green kelp to his chickens.

And look for other foods from local growers that
give their animals and their veggies the same
sort of attention and the same sort of high-
powered nutrition. The more nutrition you
get in the food you eat, the better your
results.

And besides -- Vince Gironda would approve.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one!

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. I cover sensible diet and nutrition in detail
in Knife, Fork, Muscle -- which is printed, in stock
and ready to ship -- and getting great reviews
from readers around the world:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses -- and t-shirts,
sweatshirts, hoodies and DVD's -- as well as the
Dinosaur Files strength training journal --  are
right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "Keep your training
basic and simple. Do the same with your diet."
-- Brooks Kubik

****************************************

Diet and Nutrition with the Top Athletes in Town!

Hail to the Dinosaurs!

Trudi and I made a post office run yesterday,
and dropped off three boxes, one bag and a
double arm load of the first issue of the new
quarterly Dinosaur Files. That's on top of all
the issues we shipped on Friday and Saturday.

So if you ordered a copy of the new Dinosaur
Files, be looking for it soon. If not, go here
to grab a copy -- and we'll shoot it right on
out to you:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

In related news, Knife, Fork, Muscle was printed
on Friday, and shipped to us on Monday -- in two
different shipments. At least one of them is
arriving today, so we'll start filling the Knife,
Fork Muscle orders TODAY - beginning with
the first Dinos who reserved a copy of the
little monster!

To everyone who reserved a copy of Knife, Fork,
Muscle, THANK YOU -- and if you still need to
grab a copy of the little monster, time's a
wasting:

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

After we made the post office run, we swung over
to The Root Cellar to load up on some fresh veggies.

We figured we should stock up on food because
we're going to be way too busy filling orders to do
any hunting, gathering, or provisioning for the next
couple of days. Maybe even the next week.

The Roor Cellar is a very cool Place. I talk about in
Knife, Fork, Muscle. It's a small, old-fashioned grocery
store. Just one room -- wooden shelves -- one small
freezer for the perishables -- and it's stocked entirely
with locally grown, locally raised, locally sourced foods.
It has fresh, seasonal fruit and vegetables from local
farmer's and growers -- locally raised free-range beef,
pastured pork and free-rangeeggs -- milk and cheese
from a local dairy -- free-range chicken, duck, and
(of course) turkey. Plus local honey, local butter, and
local flour.

And that's it. Nothing else.

It's sort of a small farmer's market, except it's
indoors and the farmers aren't there.

But the food is! And it was all fresh and healthy,
crisp, and beautiful looking.

We grabbed some fresh organic carrots, garlic,
onions, sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes,
bok choy, leeks, and tomatoes. The leeks were
so big and beautiful they looked like a huge
bouquet of flowers.

Trudi even found a big jar of tomato sauce
made at a local farm, and promptyly nabbed
it. She's been looking for something like that
for awhile, so between that and the bouquet
of leeks, she was one happy girl.

We talked a bit with the owner, Ron. He's going to
sell Knife, Fork, Muscle at the store. That makes
sense. It's a local store, and I'm a local author --
and I talk a lot about the importance of local
food in the book.

And if you think that's hippy stuff -- or that eating
fresh, locally sourced food is for foodies driving
BMW's to the big box "organic food" store, then
consider this.

The little grocery has a huge following among
athletes at the University of Louisville.

Meaning that the top athletes in town -- NCAA
Division One athletes in a top sports program --
including some Olympic athletes -- believe that
fresh, local food is so important that they skip
the free food at the University Training Tables
and go over to a little neighborhood grocery
store to stock up on REAL food.

That speaks volumes.

And don't forget this. The simple, local foods
we buy at The Root Cellar are EXACTLY the kind
of foods that Grimek and Stanko lived and grew
on back in the day -- and The Root Cellar is
exactly the kind of place where they bought
their food.

In other words, when you eat fresh, locally
sourced food, you eat the way that Grimek
and Stanko ate -- and the way that all of the
Golden Age champions ate.

Anyhow, if you live in Louisville, stop by The
Root Cellar. And if you live elsewhere, find your
own source of fresh, local food. It's one of the
keys to lifelong strength and health.

As always, thanks for reading and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one.

Yours in strength,

Brooks Kubik

P.S. Here's the link again for the first issue of
the new quarterly Dinosaur Files -- and for Knife,
Fork, Muscle:

http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaurfiles_quarterly.html

http://brookskubik.com/dinosaur_nutrition.html

P.S. 2. My other books and courses are right here:

http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html

P.S. 3. Thought for the Day: "You train local, and
you should eat local as well." -- Brooks Kubik

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