The Best Companion
3 EASY COOKING HACKS FOR BETTER NUTRITION
Making a meal plan is a pain, but you still want to get all your necessary vitamins, minerals, and protein through everyday foods. Even if you’re not a cooking expert, you can employ a few very simple cooking hacks in the dishes you commonly prepare! You'll be surprised how these little boosts can reap big, nutritious rewards. No. 1: Add quinoa to recipes. Want to add extra texture or color to your steamed white or brown rice? Mix it up with 1 cup of quinoa (any color) and another 2 cups of water or broth. Or, simply throw quinoa into any grain-friendly soup you’re preparing, like a simple chicken soup! Quinoa is rich in antioxidants and filled with fiber to lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels, reducing your risk of diabetes and heart disease. No. 2: Replace cream with almond, walnut, or oat milk. Cream is a popular mainstay in any American kitchen, but it doesn’t have to be dairy cream. Plant-based milk and creamer (such as almond, walnut, or oat milk) are often extra rich in vitamins and minerals and low in fat. They contain no cholesterol and are easy on your digestive system. Because they all have slightly different flavor profiles, you can pick your favorite! Walnut milk works surprisingly well in a creamy pasta sauce. No. 3: Add frozen spinach to almost anything. Fresh spinach quickly loses its folate, powerful vitamins, and nutritional benefits over time, but spinach, frozen at its peak freshness, saves the day. That’s why frozen spinach is actually more nutritious than most fresh spinach at the supermarket! Whether it's for pasta, pizza, scrambled eggs, cheese dip, a smoothie, or curry, frozen spinach is more versatile than you might think. Plus, studies show spinach may have amino acids that help reduce stress and depression! (Bonus) No. 4: Add chia seeds to cold drinks, yogurt, baked desserts, and more! It’s easy to feel guilty for indulging your cravings for sweet tea, pudding, cookies, and cake. But if you add chia seeds, you might feel a little better about it! These small seeds are densely packed with antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which may promote heart health, support strong bones, and improve blood sugar management. We hope these tips help make your favorite dishes a little more fun and guilt-free! Enjoy! 2 970-856-4474
Meet Madison Bodie! Madison Bodie has been a kennel technician with Surface Creek Vet Center for approximately two months now. Though she’s still in high school, this is not her first job — she worked previously as a line cook. But this is her first time working professionally with animals, something she has always aspired to do. Her responsibilities include taking the dogs for walks and cleaning up after the animals, but she does much more. She helps set up before surgeries and dental procedures, holds and comforts animals during blood draws, and otherwise assists the doctors in whatever way is needed. “It’s different every day,” she says. “Every day there is something I haven’t seen before. Some days you’ll have calm dogs, and other days you’ll have a rodeo dog who’s absolutely crazy!” It’s all good exposure because Madison hopes to someday become a traveling veterinary technician. Traveling technicians journey all over the country — or even around the world — to help animals in need at different facilities. Though Madison hasn’t nailed down the specifics yet, the job could present the opportunity to work with wildlife in addition to domestic pets, and she’s excited about the possibility of adventure. Madison is originally from Tennessee, but her family moved to Colorado about a year ago. “It’s different, for sure!” she says, noting in particular that “the views are beautiful.” She has a Rottweiler named Lola and three pit bulls: Butters, Maize, and Luci. Madison has always had a soft spot for pit bulls, saying, “They’re big-old babies.” “I’ve been around animals my whole life,” Madison went on to explain, and she shows no sign of stopping in the future. In her short time at Surface Creek Vet Center, she has become one of the team. “It’s a good, friendly environment to be around, and the other staff are amazing,” she says. “It’s like a little family.” THE NEW GIRL IN TOWN
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