Apparently my new best friend is named Pam

The one thing that I have always baked is chocolate chip cookies.  My kids can bake them almost with their eyes closed.  In fact, they were both bitterly disappointed when they discovered that the recipe is not an old family recipe handed down from generation to generation but is, in reality, the toll house cookie recipe on the back of the bag of chips.  Really, an old family recipe in this house????

Because of the baking, there was always a can of Pam around.  Pam is like that kid that you went to school with that didn't have much impact on you but you always knew her.  Eh, kinda bland but there.

Pam has a much larger significance in my life now.  She is my new "go to" gal.  The Healthy Cooking cookbook has me relying on her.  If you are cringing a bit, I can understand.  There is something about spraying that stuff on a frying pan that makes my toes curl.  But I am getting over it.  My favorite warning in the cookbook is to make sure you remove the pan from the open flame before using it.  I am seeing massive Pam fires sweeping the nation - all those poor innocents spraying Pam and the flames from the stove sending a giant WHOOSH into the air. 

To get back on target here - I use Pam to coat the baking dish, the frying pan, and (extra large shiver) to actually spray on the food in one recipe.  There are other cooking sprays, I know but they don't have a name that is so short and sweet.  Oh and Pam works.  Hard to fight that. 

So that is today's tip.  Good old Pam.  She is my right hand gal.

I thought that I would also include a recipe today.  When I first read this recipe, I was not impressed but somehow made it anyway. It was a much bigger hit than you can imagine.  It is great for those nights that you don't have much time.  Kinda weird but good. I will tell you in advance that the chicken does not get "browned" in this recipe.  It will still look pretty white at the end of cooking.

Baked Caesar Chicken

Place four 6 oz. boneless skinless chicken breast halves in a greased 11 X 7 in baking dish. 
Combine 1/2  cup fat free creamy Caesar salad dressing, 1 cubed avocado and 2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese. 
Spoon dressing mixture over chicken.
Bake uncovered at 375 for 30-35 minutes.  (or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees).
Sprinkle with 2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese before serving. 
Serves 4.

This recipe is from Kirsten Norgaar of Astoria, Oregon and was in the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of Healthy Cooking Magazine.

As an exercise update - my neighbor decided that she was not going to let me escape from exercising yesterday.  We went for a walk or in my case, a power walk.  I guess that she decided that we need to go a bit faster yesterday.  I was still panting 5 minutes after we got home.  Oh yea, I feel so much better for it.....

Thanks for reading!