Yes, I stole this from a Lean Cuisine meal. So what? That shit is expensive! So I decided instead of buying one, I was going to make it myself. And I'm going to make it for my whole family for less than the price of buying all 5 of us those $3 meals. That's $15! Geez, that's expensive! So yeah, no. Here is my version instead:
Get yourself some:
- chicken (whatever kind you like...if you have leftovers, then this part is free!)
- dried cranberries (Aldi has the cheapest)
- apples (cut into little pieces...or pears or any other fall fruit)
- orzo pasta (though LC has wheat berries and orzo, you can just do orzo)
- chicken stock (for cooking the orzo in...now that's flavor!)
- apple juice concentrate in a can (or apple juice, bought or fresh)
- cornstarch and cold water (1/4 C each, mixed together)
- frozen mixed veggies (any kind you like, LC uses green beans and carrots)
- spices, like ginger or some other thing that pairs well with "autumn flavors"
- chicken bouillon granules
Get enough chicken for everyone, cook it, and cut it into little bits. Make your orzo (enough for everyone) with chicken broth instead of water (low sodium is best). Make sure to add your cranberries and apples to the water to get those fuckers nice and plump and cooked down. While that is cooking, either sauté or boil your veggies. Or make it easier and buy steamables so you can just cook it in the microwave (my preference). If you sauté them, sprinkle an tiny amount of chicken bouillon granules on top (not a lot, just give it some flavor) along with some ginger. Take your apple juice concentrate and put it in a pan along with some sprinklings of ginger or cinnamon if you like that sort of thing (ooooh cinnamon...). Then cook it until boiling and pour in your cornstarch and water mixture and when it's thick enough, turn off heat. If it's not thick enough make another 2 T of each and pour more in. The point is, you want it syrupy like a sauce (though if it's too thick, add water to thin, if it's too thin, add more cornstarch/water mix).
If you are using fresh or bottled apple juice, then you need to boil it until it's reduced in half and then do as above. I did this, as I had apples that were just about ready to go bad, and I added chopped dried cranberries to the juice while boiling. The "syrup" you end up with (after adding cornstarch water) can be used for many things, like ice cream or coffee, too. It's sooooooo good! Feel free to add cinnamon to it, too.
When it's all done, lay down your orzo on each plate, then top with veggies and meat and pour a small amount of that apple syrup on top and bada bing, you gotta Autumn meal!
Also, you can divvy these up into freezable containers and have frozen microwave meals all ready for other days! I mean if, LC can do it, you can too! Also would make a great Thanksgiving meal, if you' don't want to make turkey!
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