Angel Food Ministries

[Renee in NC]

Do you find this to be a good deal? There seems to be 7 entress per box (for a family of 4.) Does it save you money? It isn't (for the most part) stuff we would normally eat, but hey, it's food and times are tough!

[Ria]

A lot of what they offer is processed. Ick. I think you could use the $30 to buy some rice and beans and other healthy foods.

Ria

[Renee in NC]

A lot of what they offer is processed. Ick. I think you could use the $30 to buy some rice and beans and other healthy foods.

Ria

 

That's kind of what I was thinking, but I know some people just love it!

 

Maybe I should come up with a comparable, healthy "package" for the same price and post it.

[Quiver0f10]

I definitely think you can do better and healthier on your own. Some beans or lentils, rice and veggies and your covered.

[*anj*]

It's not my preference because we prefer to eat unprocessed, organically or humanely produced foods, and I usually cook from scratch. But if we were having a hard time putting food on the table, I would consider the AF box depending on what the offerings were for that particular month.

 

You might be able to put something comparable together on your own, I think that would be great. And I know that beans and rice are cheap, but some people really don't care for beans and rice. Or they don't want to eat that more than maybe once a week. So for those people, I can see how AF would be very helpful. I've read posts from people on this board who have shared that AF boxes have gotten their families through hard times, so I'm glad they have that option. For some people it would be far more stressful to try and figure out how to make mac and cheese from scratch or how to make pancakes without Bisquick, than to just eat what they normally eat and get the box.

[RebeccaC]

You might want to check and see if there is an Share group in your area. They tend to be a bit more on the healthy side and will have lots of fresh veggies and fruits. I did share before I got into our present co-op. Here is the link to my local Share and I think it will give you a link to others in the nation, http://www.sharewi.org Our share also let us pay for our order when we picked it up and the least amount we could order was $15.00 Some of the meat we bought was organic and there is always an organic fruit and veggie package along with a non organic fruit and veggie package.

 

 

Hope this helps.

[Joanne]

I'll happily disagree with the above posters!

 

Angel Food, in combination with smart use of The Grocery Game, was a budget saver for me during many, many long hard months.

 

I'll grant that I am not a whole food purist, idealist or even a wanna be. I do the best I can with our budget, with having limited control every other weekend, with sports, hurried schedules and palates changed by junk exposure.

 

That said, I have this month's order menu in front of me:

 

Steak, split chicken, (prepared) meatloaf, fajitta strips (chicken), pork chops, meatballs, hot dogs, frozen carrots, california frozen veggies, pasta, marinara sauce, Hawaiian Punch (which will be a nice treat for the kids), shelf stable milk, corn tortillas, eggs and a desert. For $30.

 

That is very much how we eat! Looking at it again, I hope my budget allows for 2 basic boxes this month.

 

They've added a Senior Box with prepared meals that may be a perfect (processed, but nonetheless perfect in terms of budget friendly not horrible) meals for my DH when he works his 3 twelve hour shifts. It's worth considering just so that neither of us have to plan for those meals and prevents him from eating out so often (which is much worse food, calorie and budget wise).

 

This month has a produce box with cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, onions, potatoes, apples, lemons, pineapple, baby carrots.

 

The grill and meat boxes are also helpful to my family as we enjoy protein based meals.

[Pongo]

I decided to try is this month, I never got one before but I did also get the Vegi/Fruit Special with it. I'll let you know what comes in it and it it's any good :)

[G5052]

We skip some months, but others are pretty good. I'm going to do October because it's all food we eat in the main box and the veggie/fruit box. It will probably last us all month because we are not big meat eaters. I do a meat-centered entree once or twice week, and make a lot of stir-fries, stews, and soups.

 

Not ideal, but with the numbers on DH's medical bills, it's a big help, and you can certainly make it healthy if it's not your primary source of groceries.

[LizzyBee]

We did Angel Food for the first time in August. Not all of the food was processed. For ex, there were very nice sirloin steaks in the main box. The chicken was breaded, but it was delicious. The produce in the fruit and veggie box was better than you get at a typical grocery store - I put the lettuce in tupperware and it stayed fresh for several weeks. Overall, we thought it was very worthwhile and we plan to use Angel Food again.

[Kris]

I guess it all depends on how you look at it. We don't do a lot of processed stuff here, either, but on the other hand we don't think rice, beans and bread are "healthy foods." They're cheap, yes -- and sometimes that is the main thing -- but not healthy.

 

Even with the processed food, there is "real" food there, too, and I was pretty surprised to see all of the meat. Is that processed also? Or just frozen? Or fresh? I could "do" that box, and a box of the fruits/veggies. I would just give my neighbors anything that we don't eat.

[Kris]

We did Angel Food for the first time in August. Not all of the food was processed. For ex, there were very nice sirloin steaks in the main box. The chicken was breaded, but it was delicious. The produce in the fruit and veggie box was better than you get at a typical grocery store - I put the lettuce in tupperware and it stayed fresh for several weeks. Overall, we thought it was very worthwhile and we plan to use Angel Food again.

 

Thanks -- you answered my question while I was typing it. :)

[Melissa in FL]

You might want to check and see if there is an Share group in your area. They tend to be a bit more on the healthy side and will have lots of fresh veggies and fruits. I did share before I got into our present co-op. Here is the link to my local Share and I think it will give you a link to others in the nation, http://www.sharewi.org Our share also let us pay for our order when we picked it up and the least amount we could order was $15.00 Some of the meat we bought was organic and there is always an organic fruit and veggie package along with a non organic fruit and veggie package.

 

 

Hope this helps.

 

Wow!! Thank you so much for posting this! We tried Angel ministries and just found we didn't eat enough of it and it was quite a distance to go pick it up. Share looks much better. Their warehouse is right here in Tampa and they have a pick up really close by (actually, closer than the grocery store). I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if I can get an order in for this month. Thanks!

Melissa

[Robin in Tx]

My only complaint about the meat is that the few steaks, etc., that we've received have been treated with tenderizers, etc., and we thought they tasted... not so good. Not bad, but we just didn't care for the quality of the meat.

 

A few things have been very good, a few things have been so so... things we haven't like were the boxed generic brand macaroni and cheese and we don't eat hot dogs. The dessert we got most often was a package of cookie dough.

 

PErsonally, I think you can do just as good at the grocery store if you shop carefully and shop the loss leaders every week. I think the box saves you only about 10% or so.

 

Robin

[Renee in NC]

Thanks everyone! I am trying to decide whether it is worth the money - I wouldn't have to go far to get a box. My thought was that 7-8 entrees (not even 7 whole meals) would cost me $60, which is $7.50-8.50 per entree. That seems quite expensive when broken down like that!

 

I think what I need to do is to see how much typical meals I cook cost to make. I am not against processed food per se (in moderation) and I don't have a lot of time to cook from scratch anymore, but I need to make sure I am stretching my $$$ as far as possible.

 

The fresh fruit and veggie box is definately a good value, though, so it may be worth it just for that!

[Paula in MS]

We tried it once this summer. The steaks were not good. They had a really funny taste. The ribs and breaded chicken were not the best in the world either. We are not picky eaters, but we haven't ordered again. If the meat had been better quality, it would have been worth it. It probably really depends what is on the menu that month, but in my opinion, if you're not going to eat it all, then it is not a good value.

 

Paula

[cathmom]

I used to do SHARE. The fruits and veggies were usually not good quality - as in, beginning to turn. The best deal was the meat package, but even then, it was a lot of kinds I don't normally use. The church I picked it up at usually also had a lot of bread and baked goods for free also.

 

When I stopped doing anything that would qualify as volunteering, I stopped getting it.

[amy g.]

Can someone explain to me why rice and beans and bread are not healthy foods?

 

My two vegetarian children eat a lot of those plus raw milk, fresh eggs homemade cheese, and vegetables from our garden.

[Renee in NC]

Can someone explain to me why rice and beans and bread are not healthy foods?

 

My two vegetarian children eat a lot of those plus raw milk, fresh eggs homemade cheese, and vegetables from our garden.

 

I think it is the whole "low carb" thing.

[amy g.]

That makes sense.

 

I suppose it is possible for a vegetarian to eat low carb, but it would be a challenge for growing children.

[Kris]

That makes sense.

 

I suppose it is possible for a vegetarian to eat low carb, but it would be a challenge for growing children.

 

It's possible to do "the low-carb thing" and be a vegetarian, but it *is* a huge challenge. :001_smile:

[Kris]

We tried it once this summer. The steaks were not good. They had a really funny taste. The ribs and breaded chicken were not the best in the world either. We are not picky eaters, but we haven't ordered again. If the meat had been better quality, it would have been worth it. It probably really depends what is on the menu that month, but in my opinion, if you're not going to eat it all, then it is not a good value.

 

Paula

 

I saw someone else mention that the meats had tenderizer, etc., and I'm guessing that's where the funny taste comes from? I'm just guessing it's because they're using cheaper cuts of meat? That I wouldn't be interested in, i.e., "pre-treated" meat. :lol:

 

I'd rather just buy a better cut and dispense with the tenderizers/additives. :001_smile:

[Robin in Tx]

I saw someone else mention that the meats had tenderizer, etc., and I'm guessing that's where the funny taste comes from? I'm just guessing it's because they're using cheaper cuts of meat? That I wouldn't be interested in, i.e., "pre-treated" meat. :lol:

 

I'd rather just buy a better cut and dispense with the tenderizers/additives. :001_smile:

 

Yeah, it tasted really bad in our opinion.

 

I am surprised that someone thinks the fruit/veg box is a good deal. I thought it was overpriced.

[Robin in Tx]

Go to the grocery store and price similar items yourself. Remember to always look for the cheapest generic for comparison, because that is what you typically get in the box. You might find it's not such a good deal at all.

[Renee in NC]

Yeah, it tasted really bad in our opinion.

 

I am surprised that someone thinks the fruit/veg box is a good deal. I thought it was overpriced.

 

When I priced the fruit/veggie box, I thought it came out to less than what the same items would cost us at our local grocery store. However, a lot of those things are on sale this week, so maybe not.

[Quiver0f10]

I think it is the whole "low carb" thing.

 

There is a huge difference between carbs. I can see avoiding processed carbs and junk food, but brown rice, whole grains etc are very healthy, good for you and cheap. Add to your whole grain base some nuts, seeds, lentils, beans and veggies & fruits and you have a well balanced diet.

[amy g.]

Thanks, Jean.

 

That's what I thought. We only eat brown rice and whole wheat bread, no packaged food, no HFC, no fast food, no pop...I thought they were eating pretty well.

[Kris]

Yeah, it tasted really bad in our opinion.

 

I am surprised that someone thinks the fruit/veg box is a good deal. I thought it was overpriced.

 

It might be a good deal -- for us -- if the quality is there. The produce at the grocery store looks like someone's already eaten it. But I don't know if we could use all of it before it went bad, and I'm not sure what I'd do with this month's pineapple. :001_smile:

[Kris]

There is a huge difference between carbs. I can see avoiding processed carbs and junk food, but brown rice, whole grains etc are very healthy, good for you and cheap. Add to your whole grain base some nuts, seeds, lentils, beans and veggies & fruits and you have a well balanced diet.

 

I don't want to get into a diet debate, but actually a carb is a carb is a carb. And there is quite a lot of research being done in this area, in part because of the exploding population of diabetics in this country, as well as the obesity issues.

 

I completely understand that my take on what is healthy is not in line with conventional wisdom.

[Kari C in SC]

I'll happily disagree with the above posters!

 

Angel Food, in combination with smart use of The Grocery Game, was a budget saver for me during many, many long hard months.

 

I'll grant that I am not a whole food purist, idealist or even a wanna be. I do the best I can with our budget, with having limited control every other weekend, with sports, hurried schedules and palates changed by junk exposure.

 

:iagree:

 

We got our first box in August. Actually, my mom got a box and we got a box. All in all... it was really pretty good. I think we only ate one thing we weren't that thrilled with. That was the filet steaks in the extra meat box. We are a family of 4 at home, but my youngest doesn't really eat anything but his favorite 3 things. I found the one box lasted more than a week. Somebody said it was all generic. Actually, more than half of it was name brand if I recall correctly. It wouldn't matter to me if it were generic though, because I buy generic most of the time.

 

We did not order in September because there were several things we would not have eaten. We will be ordering this month - both my mom and I. I really think to help yourself decide - you just need to go through the menu point by point and ask yourself if your family will eat that. If you have a lot of yes', then I would give it a try.

 

I do have a question about the extra chicken tenders pack for anyone that may have gotten them - what did you think? It is a lot of tenders to purchase, if we aren't going to want them! Thanks!

[Joanne]

:iagree:

 

 

I do have a question about the extra chicken tenders pack for anyone that may have gotten them - what did you think? It is a lot of tenders to purchase, if we aren't going to want them! Thanks!

 

 

Kari,

 

I answered your PM but I'll answer here as well for other readers.

 

Breaded chicken is typically such a frequent item on Angel Food that I haven't wanted to order *more* of it. Most chicken items have been fine, and more than edible but not good enough for me to spend my food budget on more of them.