I noticed a difference in flavor before they announced that they had made the change, but I just thought I got a weird box. It tastes about normal to me now, but I use regular cow's milk. I once used almond milk and thought it tasted bad. Do you use the vanilla flavored milk? Or is there an unflavored almond milk that I'm unaware of?
And like you, I can also polish off a box on my own. The way I reduce calories and fat is by halving the butter (and using butter instead of margarine). Maybe you should try that if you're concerned about the calories.
RE: Healthy Kraft Mac and Cheese? dailyfoodphotography