Hi. This is Stephanie aka “Mama Bird.” I just wanted to address this popular topic because it is such a common follow up question when people learn I eat a vegan diet. I’m not speaking for all vegans out there, just myself here.
To preface, I have never once counted how many grams of protein I eat a day. I really believe that we do not need as much protein as we are lead to believe. Have you ever heard of some one going to the doctor or getting sick from lack of protein? Not me. In fact, there are a lot of studies that point to animal protein as a leading cause for many diseases but I’ll let you research that for yourself (check out The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, PhD).
My favorite sources of protein come from nuts, seeds, sprouts, beans, legumes, organic tempeh, organic tofu, peanut butter, quinoa, brown rice, peas, spinach & broccoli (yes broccoli has protein!). And did you know that hemp seeds contain all the essential amino acids and essential fatty acids necessary to maintain healthy human life? No other single plant source has the essential amino acids in such an easily digestible form, nor has the essential fatty acids in as perfect a ratio to meet human nutritional needs (Hemp Line Journal, July-August 1992, pp. 14-15, Vol. I No. 1). Sorry to get all book-nerdy on you, but hemp is an amazing plant and, no, eating the seeds does not get you high or will not make you test positive on a drug test. But I would recommend blending them up in your next smoothie for a real treat.
Lots of people say that they dont feel full after a vegan or vegetarian meal and think that they need meat to have that “full” felling. I know how that feels. When I first became vegan 4 years ago I had the same feeling….at first. I think it has to do with your body getting used to a new diet and a different kind of protein. But that feeling doesn’t last. Once your body gets used to a plant based diet, you start feeling better than ever. Increased energy, weight loss, shinier hair, stronger nails, lowering of cholesterol, healthier skin, reduced allergies, no indigestion, and less trips to the doctor are just some of the benefits that sealed the deal for me. (Here’s a great list of more health benefits: www.nursingdegree.net).
If you are thinking of trying a vegan diet, remember that you can make almost anything vegan! Below is a list of some common foods and their vegan alternatives:
Mayonnaise—>Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart
Cream Cheese —> Better Than Cream Cheese by Tofutti
Butter—> Earth Balance (even my grandma prefers this over butter)
Scrambled Eggs —> Tofu Scramble (personal fave!)
Milk —> Rice Milk, Almond Milk, Hemp Milk, Organic Soy Milk
Eggs (for baking) —> Ener-G Egg Replacer, Apple Sauce or Bananas
Eggs (for binding) —> Flax Seed Meal w/Water, Apple Sauce, Bananas, Chia Seeds
Cheese—>Daiya, Vegan Gourmet by Follow Your Heart, Cashew Cheese, Almond Cheese.
If you need any other substitue recommendations, shoot me an email at [email protected]. Happy to help!
<3 Stephanie
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The rumors are true! The Seabirds Truck with team Nicole, Stephanie & Raya (pictured above left to right) were contestants on Season 2 of The Great Food Truck Race. Unfortunately, we cannot reveal the outcome (thats a HUGE fine) but we can tell you that it was awesome, stressful, hard as hell, crazy and exciting.
Once the show airs we will be able to talk more about it, so for now, sit tight and be sure to watch the premier on Aug 14th & check out our promo clip. Personally, I think it’s hilarious that they chose our closing line in our clip to be half of a sentence, “We’re vegan and we can’t eat everything-.” (get out!) … Hmmm, next T-shirt slogan?
The Great Food Truck Race airs Sunday nights at 9pm ET on the Food Network! No cable? Watch on Hulu.com
<— That was our follow car. I think our car looked the best, but then again I might be biased.
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If you are an avid Farmers Market shopper here in Orange County than 1.) you rock for supporting local growers and 2.) you no doubt you have seen Orange County Produce selling their amazing fruits & veggies around town. I found these guys at the SoCo Farmers Market in Costa Mesa and they won me over with their friendly and knowledgable staff and great local, organic produce.
I learned this company is based out of Irvine (Jeffrey Road) and was started by the Kawamura family in the early 1900′s. Taken from thier website, Orange County Produce “believes in the benefits of a local food shed that provides farm fresh, seasonal products that are produced with a sustainable commitment to the land, environment and their community.” Orange County Produce is a family business proudly practicing both conventional and certified organic farming.
Do you know where your produce comes from? Dont be afraid to ask! Its a shame that many people seem to have lost touch with where their food comes from these days. That’s just one reason why Farmer’s Markets are so great- you get to meet the people that work incredibly hard to grow amazing produce in your own back yard! Heck, Orange County got it’s name because it was an amazing place to grow oranges and all other fruits and veggies. When you buy from a local growe like Orange County Produce, you are getting a fresher “just picked” product, you’re buying produce that’s naturally in season, you’re being a sustainable shopper, and you know exactly where your money is going. It’s a beautiful thing isn’t it?
Be sure to check out Orange County Produce, LLC next time your at your local Farmers Market. Check out their schedule below:
Tuesday
Irvine 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
13042 Old Myford Road
Irvine, Ca
Wednesday
Tustin 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
El Camino Real and 4th St.
Old Town Tustin
Thursday
Costa Mesa 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
O.C. Fair Grounds
88 Fair Dr Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Friday
Laguna Hills 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Laguna Hills Mall Parking Lot, (By Sears store)
5 fwy & El Toro Rd
Saturday
Irvine 8:00 am-12:00 pm
4199 Campus Dr. Irvine, (across from UCI near In & Out Burger)
CA 92612
Costa Mesa 9:00am-2:00pm
South Coast Collection Retail Center
3315 Hyland Ave Costa Mesa CA
Sunday
Laguna Niguel 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Plaza De La Paz shopping center.
5 Fwy & La Paz
Great Park 10:00 am – 2:00pm
The 5 fwy and Sand Canyon Ave.
Sand Canyon & Marine Way.
for more info: http://www.ocproduce.com/index.asp
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What: Dinner, Drinks & Bowling!
When: Tuesday evenings, from 5-9PM
Where: Lake Foret Lanes parking lot with 5-7 other food trucks. (located off of Rockfield, between Bake and Lake Forest where the 5 & 405 meet).
What to bring: your friends, appetite and a chair (and perhaps a DD)
Trux this week: Crepes Bonaparte, Seabirds, DanDanBBQ, Barcelona On The Go, Dos Chinos, Piaggio on Wheels, and Longboards Ice Cream
The bowling alley will allow our food truck food inside, but not our drinks. They will be providing a FULL BAR.
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Jackfruit- The largest tree fruit
The inside flesh of the jackfruit closely resembles a pineapple in structure, only it’s a light pink color with large seeds, and it’s pretty hard too. So we chop it all up and grill the heck out of it. Then we add a jerk rub and orange zest and some other secret ingredients. Most people say it closely resembling carnitas, and many people think they’re eating meat – which actually freaks out some vegetarians. But it’s a fruit, promise!
green jackfruit
So we serve the jackfruit in two corn tortillas with our truck-made salsa verde, chopped onion and cilantro. Its quite the nice burst of flavor in a little street taco. Oh, and we also have Potato-Jackfruit Taquitos. These are super good! Taquitos were definitely something I missed after turning veg so I went a little crazy on these for awhile and had to cut myself off. Now I indulge in one or two a week, topped with guacamole, lettuce, and green salsa…. yummm.
Our Jerk Jackfruit taco
I’m normally not a big cake fan. It’s the frosting I dont care for. So with cupcakes I normally ditch the frosting and just eat the cake. But now I can say that have been converted by Luscious Organic Desserts.
I was lucky enough to try their strawberry, pumpkin, chocolate, and gluten free chocolate cupcakes and they were AMAZING! I especially liked the strawberry, it was super moist and the frosting was made with real strawberries. This company is no joke. Everything they make is vegan and they only use the best natural and organic ingredients around. And their treats are free of hydrogenated oils, refined sugars, and bleached flours. Whats not to love!?
Here’s a pic of their Oreo cupcake.
We will now be serving Luscious cupcakes starting July 14th!”Treat yourself sweet, enjoy something Luscious today!”
http://www.lusciousorganicdesserts.com/
]]>Seabirds is dedicating to being as sustainable as possible so for us, selling the typical plasic water bottle was just not an option. We wanted to find a way to get our customers high quality water that was not only local, but green as well. Echo Beverages is our solution. This company embodies everything that Seabirds is about and we are proud to be selling their product. Not only is their water local, but their bottles are 100% recycled AND recyclable. You drink the water, recycle it, and the bottle turns into another bottle. Even the box the water comes in is made from 100% recycled material. No carbon footprint, no waste, just crisp refreshing water made and sold in Southern California. We had a chance to get a few bottles yesterday and I can tell you firsthand that the water is great tasting, very crisp with no aftertaste. Thanks to Michael and his team at Echo for supplying us with a great product! For more info check out www.joinecho.com.
Tanaka Farms is a local, organic farm located in Irvine and we came out for their Strawberry picking event that they hold every Saturday. We used the produce straight from the farm and cooked up some delicious food for everyone to enjoy. It was great of Kenny Tanaka to team up with us for this event and it was a total success. Everyone really enjoyed the food and most came back for seconds. Thanks to all who showed up to support the farm and the truck, we truly appreciate it. Seabirds plans to continue to hold events at the farm so we look forward to seeing you all there next time!
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I think its safe to safe that you’re a fool if you don’t get a burrito while in san diego. We hit up the Roberto’s at Torrey Pines Beach, one of my favorite spots when I lived in SD. It was crowded with locals as usual. We got huge burritos full of beans, rice, bell peppers, onions, potatoes, guacamole and salsa ( and lots of red & green sauce). So bomb. The rest of the day we spent chillin at the cliffs above Blacks, checking out the UCSD campus, saving lives, and hitting up vintage and second hand stores on the 101. All in all, a great day that will be remembered.
