Annie's Frozen Entrees-- Mac and Cheese-- Influenster

Recently I received a coupon from Influenster for a complementary entree from Annie's Homegrown. If you haven't heard of Influenster you must go check out their page. Its a sample service that sends items to be reviewed and tested by consumers. I have received voxboxes (a box full of random goodness to test and submit your thoughts and opinions on them) in the past, so receiving this coupon was quite exciting. 

As a mom of 5 children I was super excited to test these frozen meals, and the fact that it was free made it even better. Annie's Homegrown is a company that prides themselves in only using the best natural and organic ingredient. So when they came out with frozen meals I was very excited to give them a shot. Especially since I homeschool and my children are home with me for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so I am always trying to switch things up so they do not get bored with the food I serve them. 

Annie's has four options in their frozen meal line right now. Lasagna with meat sauce, Macaroni and cheese, Butternut squash macaroni and cheese, and Shells and white cheddar with chicken. We chose the Macaroni and cheese. 

I figured you can't go wrong with the classic. These entrees retail for $7.99 at my local Target. Unfortunately, that is the only place I have been able to find them in my area at this time. 

So pros and cons time.

1. Pro- They are tasty, my little girls gobbled it up for lunch and wanted more.

2. Con- There is only 3.5 servings in a box. To me, that is not really family size. So my older daughters got shafted that day and had to settle for a bite to taste and then leftovers from dinner the night before. 

3. Pro- It has wholesome ingredients like organic pasta, REAL cheese and we could pronounce ALL the words on the ingredient list which is always a plus to know what you are eating. 

4. Con- It takes an HOUR in the oven, however it did have microwave instructions too if you wanted it quicker. We try not to use our microwave for cooking if we don't have too. I had also read that it was a little runnier if cooked in the microwave as opposed to cooking in the oven. So it isn't really a quick meal but it is convenient. 

All in all we enjoyed it, however if we were going to all eat it as a side or meal I would need to purchase 3 boxes, since we have a family of 8 (my grandmother lives with us). So honestly for that price, I can make home made mac and cheese on the stove for alot cheaper. The concept is there and even if they made it serve 4 that would make it easier, but to only have 3.5 servings makes it a little odd for a larger family to plan.  

However the kids want to try the butternut squash mac and cheese so we will be getting that to test in the future. 

Here are some photo's of my two youngest cuties enjoying some Annie's Homegrown macaroni and cheese for lunch. You will see homeschooling at it finest with the outfits they are sporting. 

Again, this item was given to me FREE to test and give my honest opinion via Influenster. I really do love this program. It allows you to test the newest items and give a real life opinion. I always take real mom opinions over any others, because lets face it. We do know what is best for our families. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my review, and have a great day. 

-Alyce