When the guys at Quarto sent me Eat With Intention by meditation and wellness teacher Cassandra Bodzak, I knew that I was in for a ‘non-traditional’ recipe book adventure. I was pleasantly surprised. Eat With Intention is not a book about fad diets – I would say that its good writing is effectively encouraging the reader to stay positively away from those. Instead it’s better to be happy with who we are while doing our best to live healthily and happily. This is what the author means by ‘eating with intention’.
Now if you, like myself, are an avid cookbook reader you will love this one, primarily because it’s wordy. In a good way. I’m still reading through it merely because I have a million other books and articles to go through, making it impossible for me to read a book from cover to cover in a few days. What I can tell you is that I’m enjoying Cassandra’s easy going style.
The recipes start in Chapter 6 but don’t let that distract you. I reckon there is a space for that in most cookbooks and for me at least, it’s always interesting to read about people’s interests and knowing where they’re coming from. That is a plus.
Eat With Intention will guide you to identify the kinds of food that don’t agree with your body, how to nourish yourself without putting yourself down, how to meditate (let’s face it, this could be the only time you have to yourself during a busy day), and of course, it gives you a step-by-step guide to the recipes themselves.
Chapters 6 to 11 cover everything from juices and smoothies to desserts, the latter ranging from brownies to chocolate cookies to mini carrot cakes. Of course, there’s always a choice, you can start with making the recipes and then learn how to quiet your mind, or vice-versa. One thing is certain, good nutritious food is there to be enjoyed.
Eat with Intention by Cassandra Bodzak, photography by Evi Abeler, is published by Race Point Publishing, RRP £14.99
All images in this post are used with permission.