I have been asked time & time again, “Are you still doing the No-Meat thing?”  So, to all of my readers out there (all 3 of you), the answer is…..YES!  After almost 2 months, I am proud to say that we have not “fallen off the wagon yet!”  However, there seem to be a few people out there who just love to label us as vegetarians and then are quick to point out that they could do what we were doing if they ate fish too!  Let me just say, that I never said we were vegetarians.  I merely said, we were going to be non-meat eaters.  Before the die hard vegetarians/vegans out there want to “stone me”, I just wanted to make that clarification….and yes, we do eat shrimp and ocassionally, fish.  What does that make us……. ”pescatarians?”.  I have no idea & it really doesn’t matter.  We are not doing this for anyone but ourselves.   Now, let me get to the next question we are often asked, “Have you lost any weight?”  Hmmm….we didn’t do this to lose weight, although, I am starting to notice that people seem to think if you don’t eat burgers & steaks anymore it must be b/c you want lose a few pounds.  Although, I certainly wouldn’t mind that ….it was not the reason for our change.   But, NO, we did not lose weight.  Unfortunately, to make up for the lack of “meat”, we made up for it by adding bread, cheese, pasta……yup……no weight loss here!  Obviously, our next step is to try and be “healthier non-meat” eaters.  Many vegetarians and vegans will tell you that it took anywhere from a few years to 10 years to become veggies!  It takes time because it is not easy to switch “cold turkey” (we are learning as we go along).  I would recommend to anyone wanting to make a switch to do it gradually.  Maybe give up beef for a few weeks, then pork, etc.  The third question I am often asked, “Where do you get your protein?”.  My answer is usually this:  soy, tofu, tempeh, beans, cheese, milk, etc.  Usually people than realize that “protein” does not = “meat”.  So, yes, we are chugging along & taking it in stride, but I must admit, I do have the occassional craving!  Especially around that time mother nature plays her visit!  I quickly remind myself that by not eating meat I am not only saving an animal’s life, but the environment too!  I have flashes of the “infamous” video I watched….and tofu starts sounding pretty good.  The kids have done great….they really haven’t noticed a change.  We filled our fridge with soy dogs, tofurkey, non-nuggets, smart ground, etc. and they are none the wiser!  I am quick to point out to them though that they are not eating meat.  I don’t want to give them mixed messages.  My daughter is probably the glue that keeps us together in this crusade.  If my husband says, “Chicken enchiladas sound good right now”, my daughter is quick to respond with, “Daddy, we are saving the animals!”  To which he’ll reply, “Cheese enchiladas it is!”  We take it day by day….some days are harder than others…but we’re doing it.