Leaving the first comment: Because of my daughter’s limited meat-eating (poultry and fish, but no mammals) and my own increased knowledge and, frankly, conscious thinking about meat, I am definitely eating less meat than I was five years ago. Plus, I’m a little squeamish about meat that I don’t know the source of … I can’t help it. (Sometimes, I find it’s just easier to say no thanks.) That said, I’m not ready to give up meat entirely.

And yes! I think the iPad is going to be AWESOME in the kitchen!

I think if you could use the iPad to heat water on or grill a sandwich it would be extremely useful in the kitchen. But can we talk about the name? Hate it! (Too many associations with minis and maxis.) Why not iSquare? iTab? iAmgonnaneedalottaapps?
As for meat, I’d say half of our meals are vegetarian, a quarter are meat-flavored (beans with ham hock, vegetable soup with chicken broth, etc) and another quarter meat-centric (pasta with meat sauce, roasted salmon). We definitely crave/eat more meat in the winter when it’s cold.

Didn’t you see? It makes perfect paninis!

I’m not a vegetarian, but I do eat a lot less meat during the week because I belong to a vegetarian dinner coop. In fact, among the 4 families in our group, only ONE of them is really vegetarian. The rest of us like eating mostly vegetarian for the variety of foods and nutrition. And on the weekend, when I’m cooking just for my husband and I, Roast Pork with Blueberry Balsamic sauce is Soooooo good.

The majority of my friends are surprised by how delicious and satisfying my vegan meals are.

One friend said she’d planned to stop by McDonald’s on the way home from my house when she came over for her first vegan dinner. She expected meatless food to be bland. Instead, she still raves about the Thai Stew and cranberry muffins I made!

When meat makes up the center of a meal, the quality of the vegetables and the veggie recipes can be overlooked. When you take out any animal fat that might add flavor, you have to pay more attention to the ingredients. One of my students, who loves meat, says he always uses vegan cookbooks because they’ve taken the time to make the vegetable dishes delicious; then he just adds meat.

I think people should eat in whatever manner suits them best, but I definitely think an occasional vegan meal, vegan day, vegan week is a fun way to reconnect with plants and realize how much flavor, variety, and interest can be found in simple, whole, fresh, local produce.

I tried being vegan for 10 days, loved it so deeply and found such satisfaction that I never returned to meat or dairy. Currently, I can’t get enough of roasted kale (like healthy potato chips) and mashed sweet potatoes. I simply forget to think about meat or dairy with this kind of yum around.

We’ve actually eaten more meat this past half-year since we bought a quarter-cow in July -- a chest freezer full of beef means we eat some every single week. That’s a lotta beef -- sometimes too much so. Fortunately, it’s delicious, especially the ground beef (fattier and tastier than the lean mush usually sold in supermarkets). Once it’s gone next summer, I’m eager to try a meat CSA instead -- something with maybe a little less meat overall and a wider variety.