Angel Food Ministries - anyone have experience?

[tnrnchick74]

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

Does anyone have any experience with this program? Several of my online friends have said the quality is good, and now that you can buy supplemental boxes without having to buy the main box it works well. They even have an "allergy" box of breaded products that claim to be nut & dairy free.

The prices are decent, and if the quality is good...might be a good deal at least every other month.

I'm going to give it a try for Jan - for $67 I can get the allergy box, a small meat box, and the fruit/veggie box.

Just wondering if anyone else has any experience...

[o_mom]

I'm pretty sure I have seen threads on another board on it. The overall tone was positive. Some people felt there was a bit more processed food than they would use, but in general felt it was a good deal and pretty good quality. I know they said that they encourage anyone to use it, not just low income/needy because they get bulk discounts.

[DietCokeLover]

We have used it with mostly good results. There have been a couple if things I have not been happy with, but have overall been pleased with the quality/ value.

[tnrnchick74]

I've got to find a way to cut down on my food costs. I tend to eat out/buy more processed than I like because I never have time to go to the grocery store...

or...if I go to the grocery store I end up with lots of things that don't make meals. EVEN when I take a list!!!

I think that if I get the boxes, it will force me to "make" more meals and I can buy the supplemental things at aldi. And if I spent $67 at walmart, I would get 1/2 of what I would get with the 3 boxes.

I also like that it helps the community; I can order online and then go pick it up - no mess, no fuss.

My Mom is interested in seeing what I get - we don't eat pork, which is why I'm not buying the main box. IF there are plenty of things I will eat, then it might be worthwhile to "split" boxes with my Mom and give her the pork products.

I don't have a ton of freezer space, but what I have is never filled because I literally go shopping for a meal or 2. I hope this will be an easy solution to budgeting, less time spent shopping, and more nutritious meals! Even with the breaded products, I can add more nutritious side items/sauces to improve the breaded meats. And DS LOVES chicken nuggets!

Like I said - can't hurt to try it for a month or so...

[mamicka]

I've heard really great things about it & intend to try as soon as our schedule fits with the pick-up date.

[BabyMine]

Thank you for starting this post and giving the link. This is perfect for my mom.

[ThreeofUs]

SIL sent FIL and MIL a huuuggeee package of these meals.

FIL, who is not known for liking spicy food or being crunchy, said they were nutritious but very bland and over-processed.

But it is calories that most folks can eat.

[JBaxter]

My mom looked into these after my cousin was raving about them. Mom has always been a penny pincher ;) She sat and calculated out $/lb of things and found it was only marginally better prices than she could look for on sale. Some things she said she cold have done better on just buying the weekly specials.

[jenandahalf]

trnrchick74 when you say you make a list, is it a list of what groceries you want to buy or what meals you plan to make that week?

I plan the weeks meals and buy what I need to cook each one. I plan meals that make the most use of the packaging sizes I buy to make it most cost-efficient, eg mushrooms are always in a bigger box than I need so I plan two meals using mushrooms.

I can easily spend only $30-40 a week on groceries for the 3 of us, and we all take our lunches. The most processed food we eat is probably jarred pasta sauce which is just tomatoes and herbs.

[DietCokeLover]

There is a blog site, which of course the name is escaping me, that makes a menu plan based on the food from Angel Food Ministries. I'm sure if you google you will find it and if I remember it I will post.

[tnrnchick74]

trnrchick74 when you say you make a list, is it a list of what groceries you want to buy or what meals you plan to make that week?

I plan the weeks meals and buy what I need to cook each one. I plan meals that make the most use of the packaging sizes I buy to make it most cost-efficient, eg mushrooms are always in a bigger box than I need so I plan two meals using mushrooms.

I can easily spend only $30-40 a week on groceries for the 3 of us, and we all take our lunches. The most processed food we eat is probably jarred pasta sauce which is just tomatoes and herbs.

I do make lists based on meals, but for only 2 of us it's very hard. And the meats at the local stores are REALLY bad - like I've had to take meat back because its mostly rotten on the bottom. And I don't have the freezer/storage space to shop regularly at BJ's/SAMS. I find us eating the same 5 meals because of quality of meat, ease of prep, and quick shopping. When I have a taste for something "else" we go out, which kills the budget.

If I have these ingredients readily available, I can make SOMETHING out of them. Most things aren't too far off of what we normally buy. I am going to definitely check out the recipe's based on the menu's from angel food.

I'm going to try it for a month or 2 and see how it goes - what's the worse that can happen??

[DietCokeLover]

I remembered the site. It's the Hillbilly Housewife blog.

[tnrnchick74]

I remembered the site. It's the Hillbilly Housewife blog.

ok, NOW you have me scared ;)

[jenandahalf]

That sounds scary to me too!

We don't really eat too much meat to be honest so that might be why it's worked out for me.

[DebbieJ]

I'll be the voice of dissent. We tried it for two months and thought it was disgusting. The meat was of inferior quality and was injected with something to preserve it, but made it taste awful. Most everything else was processed/boxed food full of fat and preservatives.

I find that if I meal plan carefully and shop the sales, I can manage the grocery budget on my own quite well. I will pay more for good quality meat (love the Choice meats at Costco!) and build it into our budget.

[tnrnchick74]

I'll be the voice of dissent. We tried it for two months and thought it was disgusting. The meat was of inferior quality and was injected with something to preserve it, but made it taste awful. Most everything else was processed/boxed food full of fat and preservatives.

I find that if I meal plan carefully and shop the sales, I can manage the grocery budget on my own quite well. I will pay more for good quality meat (love the Choice meats at Costco!) and build it into our budget.

Good to hear both sides. Sounds like it might be hit or miss from what I'm reading here or elsewhere.

[mamicka]

I'll be the voice of dissent. We tried it for two months and thought it was disgusting. The meat was of inferior quality and was injected with something to preserve it, but made it taste awful. Most everything else was processed/boxed food full of fat and preservatives.

I find that if I meal plan carefully and shop the sales, I can manage the grocery budget on my own quite well. I will pay more for good quality meat (love the Choice meats at Costco!) and build it into our budget.

Oh, that stinks. Thanks for the info.

[Melaine]

I'll be the voice of dissent. We tried it for two months and thought it was disgusting. The meat was of inferior quality and was injected with something to preserve it, but made it taste awful. Most everything else was processed/boxed food full of fat and preservatives.

I find that if I meal plan carefully and shop the sales, I can manage the grocery budget on my own quite well. I will pay more for good quality meat (love the Choice meats at Costco!) and build it into our budget.

Did you try it recently? I'm just curious because I've looked at the menus multiple times and it seems the program has really improved in the last year as opposed to when I originally looked into it.

[tnrnchick74]

Did you try it recently? I'm just curious because I've looked at the menus multiple times and it seems the program has really improved in the last year as opposed to when I originally looked into it.

That's what I'm thinking too. I think it might be worth a try at least...can't be any worse than the quality of products around here in the stores!

[hellokitty]

Did you try it recently? I'm just curious because I've looked at the menus multiple times and it seems the program has really improved in the last year as opposed to when I originally looked into it.

Yeah, I have noticed a difference in the menu too. I looked at this like 1-2 yrs ago and the menu was horrible. TONS of processed foods. I can't speak to the quality of the meats/produce, BUT it appears to me that other than the senior box, the other box are mostly, "whole" food ingredients. I'm actually kind of impressed, b/c it looks like they made some effort to make their boxes healthier.

[Andi98989]

I have a friend who has been using it recently and really likes it. She did say that occasionally she can get better pricing by catching things on sale, but she's a working mom with 2 kids, and this just makes more sense for her than scouring ads and running around town.

We haven't tried it because DH can't eat chicken or beef due to his Crohn's disease, so the options are pretty limited for us.

[MamaKath]

That's what I'm thinking too. I think it might be worth a try at least...can't be any worse than the quality of products around here in the stores!
I am thinking this too. My bff's mom had told me about it a year ago and the products did not look too good. I looked today and it seems to be better quality than it was. I may give it a try now that dh is out from work, it might help.