Annie's brand foods

[Charlemagne]

Are they actually organic/not as bad for you as the other stuff. My wife buys the products all the time. Sometimes i think brands that market themselves as "natural" are only doing so to get sales....In reality, they are as natural as taco bell beef.

Do you guys/gals recommend the stuff?

Thanks!

[MiddleFingerMom]

1. One of my biggest concerns is sodium levels in food...

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... and I haven't seen any improvement in lowering sodium in
so-called "health foods", nor organics nor "all-natural" -- in
fact, I'm more likely to find no-salt or TRULY low-sodium
products in a stores generic brands.
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[Chan790]

2. Any idea where I can find low-sodium pasta sauce?

One that isn't bland spiceless crap that tastes like and has the consistency of tomato soup?

I've noticed over the past 5 years the sodium content of mass-production brand pasts sauce has jumped from ~=13% (avg.) to ~=35% (avg.) and the taste has taken a nosedive.

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. I very occasionally bow to convenience and get prepared spaghetti sauce...

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... and the sodium levels can vary GREATLY, even in the same brand -- say among the
different "flavors" of Prego (all too high, though... for heart health -- but you
will probably find between 300-600 mg/serving).
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. I generally make my own with salt-free tomato paste and sauce (one of the few
easily-found salt-free products in my experience) -- fresh garlic, basil, crushed red
pepper and a little grated Parmesan in the sauce itself (doesn't take much) and usually
very lean ground beef cooked right in the sauce. I make huge stockpots of it and freeze
it (plus spend 2-3 days eating various Italian meals.
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I've found generic store brands often taste and feel like gussied-up tomato soup. I can't
afford expensive "gourmet" prepared sauces -- but would imagine that some of them MIGHT
be acceptable (though probably just barely), though they're usually sodium-rich products.
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[davsand]

14. Have you looked at the Muir Glen pasta sauces?

The sodium level in the Garden Vegetable sauce is something like 350 mg. I add some more garlic and some basil to it along with a can of salt free diced tomatoes, and it doesn't suck too bad for being pre-cooked sauce:

http://www.muirglen.com/products/product_detail.aspx?cat=1&upc=7-25342-28986-8


Nothing compares to making it yourself, but if I'm feeling lazy or in a huge hurry, I can serve this and my family will eat it.


:hi:


Laura

[trof]

3. "Natural" is meaningless. But the website looks legit.

http://www.annies.com/about-annies
And Annie is a handsome woman.
:-)

I'll try some of her stuff.
Thanks for the heads up.

[Eyerish]

5. I highly recommend them...

:thumbsup: We buy lots of Annie's from our co-op. They are most known for their mac n cheese varieties but they make all sort of other foods. Here's their product listing if you are curious: http://www.annies.com/products

[RebelOne]

6. Me too. I buy Annie's quite frequently.

The cheese enchildas are the best ever.

[KT2000]

7. Amy's are great!

They taste good and most ingredients are organic. I have heard their processinbg center is spotless.

[dawg]

11. +1 for Amy's

I hate to cook, so these have been a real treat for me.

[freshwest]

8. I find them to be a good concept but not after I tried a few I gave it up.

From the way they're made they seem healthy enough, but the follow through doesn't work that well. They end up being very heavy but that's just my opinion. I've tried just about everything that they've made. I find that as far as these things go the indian frozen meals are the best ones. Whether vegetarian or not. They're usually int he same freezer sections as Annie's.

[msanthrope]

9. They make the only mac&cheese my kid will eat--she finds all others,

especially Kraft, way too salty.

'Peace Pasta Parmesan' is my kid's favorite, with 'Yummy Bunny' a close second.

[GoCubsGo]

10. The web site has some great recipes for the mac and cheese.

I use it for tuna casserole, and I really like Bunnies in the Garden. In fact, I might have it for lunch tomorrow.

[sakabatou]

12. They may be organic but I HATE the taste

[Shagbark Hickory]

13. I've seen Annies and Amy's brands for quite some time.

I haven't tried any of them but to answer your other question, I have found some organic brands don't have sugar or HFCS.

Example: Organicville brand Ketchup. (Which tastes great btw, much better than Heinz) Uses Agave nectar as the sweetener instead. I also use their BBQ sauce and salad dressing. It's more expensive than the non-organic brands but it tastes a lot better. I don't know that it's any less fattening or whatever but healthier ingredients, perhaps.