What Animal Are We Eating?

I am a pseudo vegetarian. There. Make sense of that. It all started when I was younger and learned the working of a farm (sorry Dad, just know I'm not blaming you directly.) I have gone years, months, weeks, days, even just mere minutes being vegetarian. I held out the longest from some time towards the end of high school until about three days after I found out I was pregnant with Ty, when his Nana and I went out to Fridays and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger. I then proceeded to eat bacon at all 5 meals I ate every day for the remainder of the pregnancy. Suck on that PETA. (You'd think I was joking but the 57 pigs I put in the ground will vouch for me.)
Recently my children have realized that meat was once living, and enjoy grossing each other out, okay grossing me out by asking what animal our food came from and then making that animal's designated "sound" throughout dinner. Well folks, 9 years later, with all the credit due to my lovely boys, I have once again converted. It started out slowly, pushing the meat to the side of my plate or hiding it in my napkin as I told the boys they had to finish their food, but Nathan's meat and potato appetite has made me aware I have avoided making meat in the past week. The boys' groans over "more black beans" and my response lectures about the amazing amount of protein they contain have reached their peak.
I should tell you just because I am a herbivore does not mean I make the rest of the family eat that way. HOWEVER with that said, I have been slowly and secretly changing the eating habits of my family. It started out years ago with eliminating white pasta, white bread and white rice. Trust me, Nathan was not too happy with the no white bread rule. He rebelled often and on grilled cheese or sandwich days went out and bought a loaf of white bread "just for him." About two years ago it was no white flour. Last year I eliminated soda. I am *hoping* that by slowly making these changes over the years it doesn't shock them too much and they just get used to them. Folks, I am fully aware I will have to make two or three trips to the grocery store or farmer's market a week now, but honestly I don't mind. It gives me less to remember at once.
And that is my post for the day.