Archive for January, 2013

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Lunch: Corn chowder with potatoes,celery, pepper, cheese, add cheezy kale chips, chicken breast meat, and finally alfalfa sprouts. I couldn’t find a bigger bowl. Plus, a tall glass of light Silk vanilla soy milk.

By Cameron McKirdy

I’m going to keep this simple. These are my favorite foods on the planet. I think they give me tremendous energy, and superior health.

Seeds – hemp, chia, sunflower, pumpkin, sesame
Nuts – almonds, peanuts, pecans, walnuts
Berries – goji, blueberries, acai, raspberries
Kombucha Tea (raw and organic)
Yerba Mate (not in plastic tea bags)
Fresh Spring Water from the source
Coconut water with pulp
Raw juice – organic fruits and vegetables (add spinach/kale)
Protein Powder – raw whey, hemp, rice
Eggs – farm fresh
Supplements – bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, maca root, turmeric, dandelion, milk thistle, calcium/magnesium/zinc, fish oil, marine phytoplankton
Raw honey (lasts forever)
Barlean’s Greens (drink powder)
Cordyceps (and other mushrooms)
Organic soy milk (vanilla)
Aloe Vera juice (with wheat grass)
Avocado
Fresh salmon (try teriyaki salmon jerky)
Sea Vegetables – kelp, chlorella
Raw Chocolate (cacao)
Spirulina and Blue-Green Algae

It’s my pleasure to bring to you, my hike on Saddle Mountain in the snow, at night, solo.  I love doing extreme stuff in the outdoors.  It’s a rush, and you’ll get one watching this HD movie.  This vlog is packed with action, and epic views.  I will update this post with the details of my journey, and my full review of the LED Lenser products I tested.  Thanks for visiting Survival Bros! 

cam hikingProduced By Cameron McKirdy – Survival Bros Founder

 

The McKirdy Bros Professionally Eating Ribs

The McKirdy Bros Professionally Eating Ribs

Times are tough, for many people this isn’t the first time they’ve struggled to make ends meet. I’d like to humbly share a time in my life my frugality took a dark but interesting turn. It was 2008 and I was a student at the University of Oregon. My major was international studies and so, in a way I was honing my skills for a life of financial hardship. I was “in between jobs” as they say, and while I had saved enough money to still afford rent, my savings were diminishing fast. Food was expensive. I had contributed to society, paid my taxes for long enough for me to feel less guilty about what I was scheming. I looked to the homeless for inspiration and I found none. “They are doing it all wrong” I said to myself.
 
I had long been a fan of free food so I started brainstorming of all the past places food was a plenty. Buffets. Breakfast buffets. Continental breakfasts. The Holiday Inn Express was closest to my house, so that’s where I first walked in as confidently as possible, to a hotel I’ve never been in before. Oatmeal. Apples. Oranges. Muffins. It was a beautiful display of food not meant for me, which made it even more exciting. I had my backpack on me because my Spanish class was in a half an hour. I ate what I could, and opened my bag to shove a bundle of bananas in. I took an extra muffin for my friend because he was broke like me, and as it turns out I’m very generous with other people’s food. This went on for a while. So long that I started to rank the hotels. Phoenix Inn had apple juice and hot chocolate so I gave it a B+. But breakfast was only one meal out of the suggested 3 a day. I had started noticing official University of Oregon food golf carts zipping around campus. I was lucky enough to have experienced this before at catered public events and so I knew they had the goods. One day in between classes I saw a green cart zip right in front of me and if it were possible I would have jumped right on the back and followed it to wherever it was going, but I had to be more inconspicuous. So, I ran. Calmly. Like I was late for a class across campus. Finally the cart stopped in front of the law building. Taking from future lawyers was alright by me. I wasn’t stealing. I was taking something being offered just not to me. Oh was it delicious. The pasta was seasoned and covered in feta cheese and oil. I was in heaven. The breakfasts and occasional catered meal kept me for only so long. I did some grocery shopping rather often to buy my bulk items of hummus, rice, beans and oats. Cheap nutritious foods. I was at Whole Foods when I noticed a bread man checking the dates of each loaf and then collecting the ones that were about to expire. I striked up a  conversation and he told me that he could give me some just not in the store. He told me to meet him out back. A couple of minutes later he was noticeably more casual with me. He didn’t care about the bread. So I took all that I could. Six loaves of organic whole wheat bread. It only lasted me a few days. 
 
Turns out he gave the rest to the Eugene food pantry, but they always had plenty of bread from other donations besides his company. I looked into the pantry and I qualified. I rode my bike to the pantry, and again only had my backpack. They told me to go outside and they would bring me my food allowance. They rolled out a two level push cart full of canned foods, cold milk and other dairy products including a very cheap pint of chocolate ice cream. I could only carry about a quarter of what I was alloted. I wouldn’t have eaten most of the other stuff any way because it was full of MSG, salt and I knew it would taste awful. 

Eventually I was able to get a job and save up some money so I didn’t have to go to all the trouble, but I had a good run. Without all the ways I found to get free food I am sure I would have started charging groceries on a credit card. I hope I don’t have to do it again, but it is nice to know that sometimes beggars can be choosers if you’re smart enough. I am very thankful for each and every free bite to this day. 

Andrew McKirdy

Andrew Scoring Free Organic Bread

Andrew Scoring Free Organic Bread

By Cameron McKirdy

I’m starting the new year, 2013, with a healthy total body cleanse. I began today with a raw juice drink. My Jack LaLanne Power Juicer muscled through garlic, ginger, organic celery, green apples, carrots, lemon, limes, and cucumber.

Right now I am six feet tall, and 225 pounds. I’d like to drop down to around 200 lbs, or less. I was 185 in high school. I will be eating some organic vegetable soups, salads, fruit, nuts, seeds, and juicing. Plus, I really like the raw whey, and vegan protein supplements I have, so I will be making mad smoothies with that goodness. I’ll be drinking hemp, almond, coconut, soy, and 7 grain milk too. I also love aloe water with the chunks, and coconut water.

I plan on training hard immediately. I’m going to be speed walking hills, playing basketball, mountain biking, doing yoga, weightlifting, and running. I will also be using my foam roller for massage and more. I plan on taking vitamins too, with gallons of natural spring water. Stay tuned. This is a live blog. It’s on. I can’t wait to feel, and look better. Good luck!

Day two: I was a liquidarian today. I didn’t chew anything. In the AM my diet consisted of cranberry/goji juice, 2 Odwalla Monster protein drinks, and coconut water. Later I had coffee, which I will be weening myself off of. It got the bowels moving. In the afternoon I made another green juice, with mostly cucumbers. Finally, I sipped kombucha. I consumed spring water throughout the day, and enjoyed hemp milk too. I felt lighter, and leaner today. It’s nice cutting out most of the dairy. I feel like dairy makes me bloated. I plan on pounding more liquids tomorrow, and maybe raw cashews, and salad. Life is good. I will weigh myself again in the morning.

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Day 3: I’m doing all liquids again today, minus a mushy banana. Maybe I will eat a fruity Larabar and seeds tomorrow for fiber. However, the juice I got at the health food store did have added fiber. Today I started with kombucha tea, and had a little espresso. I’ve guzzled various natural juices without high fructose corn syrup. And I picked up an aloe water, and organic apple cider vinegar. That’s it, besides more cold water. I feel fine. I have a little less energy today, because I don’t have food energy, or excessive amounts of caffeine in my system. When detoxing it’s important to get lots of rest and relaxation, in my opinion. Do what’s right for you.

OK, I used a fork tonight. Mom made veggie stir fry, and you don’t turn that down. She’s on her own cleanse now. Mom wrote a blog for Survival Bros on going gluten free, and food allergies. Coming soon!

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