I've gone milk-free, it's been about three months now and it's going well. I don't really miss it much even when others around me are eating it. I can really see that it has addictive properties, not unlike caffeine. I had serious cravings for a while and it's only been a short while since they've gone away.

I have a lot of sweet cravings still and I've found that drinking flavored teas (such as sweet orange, passion fruit, etc.) really hits the spot! Who would have thought? Sometimes I have hot apple cider but I'm trying to stick with the teas, because they have less sugar!

I'm also attempting to have at least 2-3 vegan days per week. I've been making veggie burgers, bean burritos, and PB sandwiches though I really need to venture into more recipes! I bought The Kind Diet and I have plenty of cook books one of which is vegan. I have no excuse!

I promoted the vegan lifestyle (of which I am obviously living the 'flirt' lifestyle at this point) on my main blog. I'd love for you to check it out and even leave a comment! Click Here

This next baby step feels more like a giant leap for me! I think I've been putting it off subconsciously. I don't know why it's so scary, but I'm going to do it!!

What am I going to do? I make it sound like I'm going to go bungee jumping or sky diving but all I'm going to do is try some new vegetarian/vegan recipes. Why does this feel so scary??

But aside from my new found phobia of trying new recipes (and shopping for things that I'm not even sure I know where they are located in the store!) I've been doing well with my journey. Aside from my obvious attempts to get rid of the meat in our freezer I haven't been eating any meat at home, eating out is a different story, but even so I haven't had that much and my goal is to ease into vegetarianism so I'm still doing great!

I've also decided not to buy any more chicken nuggets but I really need to find an alternate for my son. Preferably something plant based because nuggets are pretty much the only meat he will touch as it is (apparently he got his lack of enjoyment for meat from me). He loves dairy (also from me) so he gets more than enough protein from that but again I'd love to get us all getting the majority of our protein from plant based foods! I also need to get into the habit of feeding my son the same meals that we eat, I've gotten myself into the bad habit of feeding him a different dinner. He is definitely old enough to eat what/when we eat! No better time than now, when I am going to be introducing healthier foods!

The foods that I have been preparing which are meatless are simple things that I've always liked. Spaghetti, alfredo, bean burritos, nachos, enchiladas, quesadillas, cheese sandwiches, garden burgers, etc. I have always mostly made all of that stuff meatless, though I know that all of it could easily have meat (my husband adds bacon to his garden burgers!!)

So I have decided on a few recipes that I'd like to try. They don't have too many ingredients so I hopefully won't get overwhelmed and they seem easy enough to make, one is even a crock pot recipe!!

I came across VeganRecipe.us and it's a great resource for vegan recipes! (Though I did find one with cheese...but I'm going to try it anyway, it sounds so yummy!!)

I'm going to try these two recipes: Vegetarian Crock Pot Enchiladas and Crockpot Queso (the one with cheese).

I'm also going to try a recipe that a friend of mine shared in a comment in an earlier post.

Black Bean and Guacamole Salad
12 whole tortilla chips
4 cups broken tortilla chips
3 cups chopped lettuce
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups guacamole
1 tablespoon lime juice
chili powder or paprika

arrange whole tortilla chips on outside edge of a large plate, point out. Spread broken chips on rest of plate. Layer lettuce, black beans, and guac over top. Drizzle on sour cream. Sprinkle with paprika or chili powder.

It doesn't say to, but I would heat up the beans first. :)

I found this online and thought it was really cool!