AngelFood Ministries

AngelFood Ministries — Is it really that good a deal?

by jen.

In May, I ordered the basic package, the Fajita pack, and the Latin veggie pack to do my own research on whether AFM is a good deal or not. I’m going to say not really.

The basic package was barely a deal at $30 and included the following items:

32 oz	Shelf Stable Milk	$ 2.19
8 oz	Roll Mix	$ 0.88
7.5 oz	Mac/Cheese	$ 0.84
15 oz	Pears	$ 1.46
15 oz	Applesauce	$ 1.14
5 oz	Tuna	$ 0.92
12	Eggs	$ 0.98
32 oz	Chicken w/Stuffing Side Dish
28 oz	Salisbury Steak	$ 2.50
1 lb	Corn Dogs (6 ct)	$ 2.19
32 oz	Crinkle Cut Fries	$ 2.88
1 lb	Sweet Corn	$ 1.25
1	Sweet Potato Pie	$ 5.29
12 oz	Ham	$ 2.32
2.5 lbs	Chopped Beef Steaks (5 ct)	$ 8.73
5 lb	Chicken Leg Qtrs	$ 4.95
1 lb	Boneless Pork Chops (4 ct)	$ 2.99
	TOTAL	$ 41.50

This total was based on NORMAL prices at Meijer’s in TC as of 6/29/09. If, however, you shopped around you could get it down lower than that. I know that you can often get a Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Pie at the Sara Lee outlet for $1.99. I know, too, that if you shopped at Sav-A-Lot, combined a sale with a coupon, and/or kept your eye open for meat that was reduced for quick sale, you could EASILY lower this by $10-15 and get food you would normally eat.

I also bought the Fajita package ($21). It included:

10 pk	Tortilla 8″ (2)	$ 3.98
1 lb	onions/peppers	$ 1.79
2 lbs	Steak Fajita Meat	$ 8.58
2 lbs	Chicken Fajita Meat	$ 1.98
	TOTAL	$ 16.33

Not a deal at ALL!! The chicken meat, I based off of getting a really good sale and using leftovers because it was hard to find pre-packaged fajita or stir-fry chicken. The steak could easily be lowered by getting a bigger, cheaper cut and slicing it yourself. It’s obviously cheaper to make your own than to buy theirs.

Last came the Latin Fruit & Veggie Box ($22). It included:

	6 roma tomatoes	$ 2.24
	4 hass avacados	$ 6.67
	1 head cabbage	$ 1.23
2 lb	Red Potatoes	$ 2.19
2 lbs	key limes	$ 3.00
1 lb	jalapeno peppers	$ 1.99
1 lb	carrots	$ 0.80
	garlic (5ct)	$ 2.00
2 lb	white onion	$ 1.99
	2 chayote squash	$ 1.29
	4 calabacita squash	$ 1.94
	celery	$ 1.67
	seedless personal watermelon	$ 3.49
	TOTAL	$ 30.48

Not a deal at all. I know that the I know some of this was on sale this month so it could be even less if you bought on sale, in season and/or at the Sav-A-Lot. Plus, you get it all at once and it needs to be used ASAP. And the quality was ABYSMAL. I’ll go into that in my food quality post. Suffice it to say, it was NOT worth $20.

Stay tuned for my final post next week about the quality of the food and my thoughts on the program in general

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AFM – What do I do with 2 POUNDS of key limes?

Jun 16th, 2009

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Simplicity – Small & Cheap). I consolidated all blogs to simplify my life. – Jen 6/19/09

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What does one do when they get a two pound bag of key limes (which, if you’ve never seen one, are the size of a bouncy ball that you get in vending machines outside of grocery stores)? You make limeade! Sounds like a pun, but seriously! Most recipes that call for limes use 1 Tablespoon to 1/8 c. That’s like 2-7 limes. Two pounds of limes is like 30 of them (that’s a guess–I have not counted the lime carcasses covering my counter. I don’t have room on my butt for 10 batches of lime bars and white chocolate lime cupcakes.

First, my tips for juicing key limes. Roll them on the counter to break up the membranes inside (got that tip from AB). Cut them in half between the “tips”. If you cut the other way, you will hit major membranes. Try it, you’ll see what I mean — I didn’t take pics of that part, sorry. Squeeze them and then flip them inside out to ensure you break all the membranes and get the most possible juice out of them. Do this over a tray that can catch ALL the juice because even if you do this over a measuring cup you will lose precious drops of juice. When you do this All. Morning. Long. and see a puddle of juice on the counter…well that’s a little annoying.

So anyway, on to the recipes…

Limeade (from Cooking For Engineers)

1 c lime juice
1-1/2 c sugar
1-1/2 c water

I will summarize for you since I screwed it up because, as a non-engineer, I didn’t understand her notation at the bottom.

Make a simple syrup from the water and sugar by heating the two until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lime juice (that’s where I screwed up–I added the lime juice while heating).

Makes 3 cups of concentrate.

To make the limeade, add 1 c concentrate to 3 c water. Drink. Repeat.

I also made Lime Bars (from About.com)

Bottom Layer:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Top Layer:

2 eggs
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (approximately 1 large lime)
1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest (optional)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 to 5 drops green food coloring (optional, but they look like lemon bars without it )

Directions:

Bottom –

Mix together flour & powdered sugar. Cut in butter until well combined. Press mixture into a 8×8 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. While the crust is cooking, prepare the topping.

Top –

Break the eggs and beat slightly. Add the lime juice, zest, sugar, flour and food coloring if you are using it. Mix well and pour over hot crust and put back in the oven for approximately 20-25 more minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Makes 9 bars.

And finally, the coup de grace, White Chocolate Key Lime Muffins, also from About.com.

For the cupcakes (super sweet!):

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons grated key lime zest
1 Tablespoon fresh key lime juice
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 cup white chocolate chips

For the glaze (nice and tart!):

1 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup fresh key lime juice

Directions:

Fill muffin cups with foil liners. Don’t skip this, trust me. The white chocolate chips kind of settle to the bottom and don’t come out very well. You end up with lots of lopsided muffins and yummies to eat out of the pan.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.

In a seperate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, juice and zest, mixing well.

Into the butter-cream mixture in the large bowl, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Add one-third of the buttermilk, stirring until combined. Continue alternating one-third of each until all is mixed well. Fold in white chocolate chips.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in a 350 oven for 18 – 20 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 -18 cupcakes.

While the cupcakes are baking, wisk together powdered sugar and lime juice. After the cupcakes are done baking, poke pencil-sized holes (or smaller) in the top of each muffin and pour the glaze over the top and into the hole. Cool completely.

Eat. Repeat!

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AFM – Cordon Bleu Casserole

Jun 11th, 2009

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Simplicity – Small & Cheap). I consolidated all blogs to simplify my life. – Jen 6/19/09

I had this on my menu plan to use Chicken leftover from Tuesday but I never cooked that and had a bunch of turkey in the freezer that I wanted to use up. I’m sure chicken would work just as well.

The original came from Taste Of Home‘s Cookout/Potluck super Magazine, but you can find it on their website.

You will need:

2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
4 cups cubed cooked turkey
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-3/4 cups milk

Directions:

In a greased 2-qt. baking dish, layer the turkey, cheese and ham; set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, mustard and nutmeg until blended. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over ham.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

Yield: 6 servings.

COOKS NOTES: The original recipe includes a bread crumb topping, but everytime I make one, it stinks. I scraped all mine off–I just can’t seem to get it right. Also, the ham I had was thin sliced lunchmeat-style and so I just shredded it fine. If you use chunks, the original has you browning the ham first.

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AFM – Caldo de Res (Beef Soup)

Jun 3rd, 2009

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Simplicity – Small & Cheap). I consolidated all blogs to simplify my life. – Jen 6/19/09

I didn’t take a photo because it’s a stew and I’m not a food photographer. Even after I screwed it up (I boiled all the water out and caught it JUST before it started to burn — such is life with littles who need you!), it tasted phenominal!!

You need:

2 lbs beef shank with bone (my new FAVORITE ingredient!)
2-3 red potatoes, cubed
3 carrots chopped
1 calabacita squash, chopped (similar to zucchini)
1 lb frozen corn
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
1 tomato, quartered
2 cloves of garlic
6 tsp fresh cilantro
salt
water

Instructions:

Boil water in medium pot with garlic and salt. How much water, you ask? However much you want, I guess. We used a 4 qt dutch oven and filled it halfway (after I screwed up). Maybe a little less…the veggies make the water level rise quite a bit.

Cut the meat off the bone, into 1″ chunks and throw the meat and the bone(s) in the boiling water. Cut all the veggies and set aside.

When the meat is cooked, lower temp to medium and add the corn. Let cook for 10 minutes. Ad the potatoes, carrots, squash and tomato and let it cook for another 15 minutes. Add the cabbage and let cook until potatoes and cabbage are tender. Turn off heat and serve hot.

Serves approximately 8 when using a normal sized dutch oven.

Well, here is my first review on the food. The tomatoes didn’t last a day after I brought them home. By Sunday night (I picked up Sat. PM), they were furry. So I used a can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and it worked fine.

Also, the produce box proudly proclaims PRODUCE OF USA. However, the items inside told a different story. The Key Limes were a product of Mexico and the garlic was a product of China. It must have come over from China to the US during the Ming Dynasty. They were so old that most of the cloves were exposed and were very dry and brittle. I didn’t even attempt to eat them and threw them straight in the compost pile–I bet they are so old, I couldn’t even grow garlic from them! I used dried garlic instead.

Also to note is how much I LOOOOOOVE beef shank w/bone. The bone(s) — It required 2 packages to get 2 lbs of meat and so I got 3 bones (1 in one pkg and 2 in the other) — give SUCH a flavorful broth. They were $2.97 a pound and well worth every penny. You get fatty, flavorful, tender meat and yummy bone juices. I will definately keep this cut of meat in my back pocket for beef based soups.

Stay tuned for the key lime bonanza! What would you do with 2 lbs of key limes?

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AngelFood Ministries – June 2009 Menu Plan

Jun 1st, 2009

by jen.

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This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Simplicity –Â Small & Cheap). I consolidated all blogs to simplify my life. – Jen 6/19/09

Here is my menu plan using the items from May’s core food package as well as the Fajita box & the Latin Veggie box:

M 6/1 â Caldo de Res (Beef Soup) from AFM Latin Flavors Recipe sheet and Rolls (add 2lbs beef shank w/bone & fresh cilantro)

T 6/2 â BBQ Chicken, Fries, Cabbage âSaladâ? (add BBQ Sauce, Salad Dressing)

W 6/3 â LO Beef Soup & Rolls

Th 6/4 â Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole (use LO chicken & add swiss cheese, flour, butter, ground mustard, ground nutmeg, bread crumbs), carrots

F 6/5 â Ham & Cheese Omelets, Pears, Toast* (add cheese, bread)

S 6/6 â LO Chicken Cordon Blue Casserole, carrots

S 6/7 â Â Corn Dogs, Fries, Watermelon

M 6/8 â Salisbury Steak, Parslied Potatoes, Veggies*

T 6/9 â Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice w/Tomatoes*, Chips* & Salsa

W 6/10 â LO Salisbury Steak, Side*, LO Veggies

Th 6/11 â Ham & Cheese* Omelets, Toast*, Fruit*

F 6/12 â Mac & Cheese w/Tuna & Peas/Carrots*

S 6/13 â Steak Fajitas, LO Rice,

S 6/14 â Pork Chops, Side*, Chicken Stuffing Casserole, Veggies*, Pie (freeze leftover pie for next week)

M 6/15 â Beef Steaks, LO Casserole, LO Side, LO Veggies

T 6/16 â French Toast, Breakfast Meat*, Applesauce (add bread)

W 6/17 â LO Beef Steaks, Side*, Veggies*

Th 6/18 â NOT FROM AFM- Spanish Rice, Chicken, Salsa, Black Bean Burritos

F 6/19 â Corn Dogs, Baked Beans*, Fruit*

S 6/20 â LO Burritos

S 6/21 â Pork Chops, Side*, Veggies*, Pie

M 6/22 â Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice*, Veggies*

T 6/23 â NOT FROM AFM – Pancakes, Breakfast Meat, Eggs

W 6/24 â NOT FROM AFM – TBD

Th 6/25 â Steak Fajitas, LO Rice, Veggies*

F 6/26 â NOT FROM AFM – Smoked Pork Loin, Side*, Veggies*

S 6/27 â NOT FROM AFM – TBD

S 6/28 â NOT FROM AFM – TBD

The * indicate items that you have to buy on your own — they don’t come in the AFM packages.Â Â I will post recipes of the entries in Red after I have prepared them.Â Â Also, as you might notice, there are a few items that we don’t seem to use at all — worry not, they aren’t going to waste .Â Â We will be making all sorts of yummies with the key limes.Â Â I’ve found a bunch of recipes and will go through the pile until I run out of limes!Â Â I will also be making DH a lot of homemade Guac and Salsa and I’ll share the recipes for those, too.Â YUM!

So stay tuned for recipes and more fun stuff using the goodies from the AFM May 2009 shipment.

This post is also linked to Menu Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com.

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