Hey Powerfoodies! 2017 has absolutely flown by, but so much has happened! Not only professionally, but also personally. It was precisely one year ago that I came up with the idea to write yet another new book featuring all of my very favorite party recipes. I really wanted to share these with everyone, as I truly love celebrating life (who doesn’t?!). From January until March, I spent most of my time in the kitchen, coming up with the most delicious party recipes. What fun it was! Back then, it was just Marieke and I at the office, which meant – guess what? We got to taste test all of the recipes. Lucky us! ; ) Sometimes a recipe wouldn’t work out the first few go rounds, so we’d have to test it several times. At a certain point, my pants started to feel a little tight, but hey, a little Powerfood never hurt anybody!

In April, while I was on vacation in Cape Verde, I decided to move to New York again. My life in the Netherlands was really great, but I was looking for a new challenge. It was about nine years ago that I met Sid in the City and now (after having lived together in Amsterdam for three years) it felt like time to go back and live together there. I also really wanted to step out of my comfort zone. With that in mind, there was so much to be done. By that time, my team had grown and had more responsibilities. I really did not want to give up my beautiful office in Amsterdam. But I made it work! By the beginning of the fall, I had the keys to my new pad in New York and the team in Amsterdam is still up and running!

In the meantime, I launched my fourth book ‘The Party Edition’ (!) in June, started vlogging, won the Libelle Smaakmakers Awards, published my book ‘Power Food – On The Go’ in New York, and gave a TED talk in November. All of these amazing experiences have contributed to quite a bit of personal growth this year. I’ve learned to let go of some control over my work and to delegate and lead. I’ve also grown spiritually. I’ve started a meditation practice, attended workshops (given by Abraham Hicks, among others), read lots of books and watched many documentaries. I have also learned about the law of vibration and the power of attraction – the idea that the more energy you put into something, the more energy you get back. I’ve always believed that you create your own experience (subconsciously or consciously) and that you attract certain circumstances, events and people into your life. This year I decided to pay more attention to this and change my behavior accordingly. What I created this year has all stemmed from my own power of attraction. I grew up with this way of thinking, but at the same time we were also always very modest, which made it difficult for me to believe that anything is possible. It may very well be that there is something about Dutch culture that contributed to this –Dutch sayings like, “just being normal makes you crazy enough” make it difficult to break free of the idea that things won’t work out when you take a chance. But positivity definitely won out this year!

I feel necessary in this life. I feel like I have something to contribute, which gives me a sense of purpose. 2017 was a year of empowerment for me. I am more willing to open my heart. I believe that 2018 has so much to offer. I am looking forward to it. I am happy. I am enjoying good vibes, in spite of the ups and downs we all face. I grow in response to less positive experiences. It’s all part of life, but I know where I need to focus my attention. I try to let go of the past and work toward a better vision of the future. I’m ready for it! You?

So, happy 2018 in advance, dear Powerfoodies! Thank you for all your support. You give me the strength to keep doing what I’m doing and I hope so much that I can keep making a positive contribution in your lives! Right now, I’m working on a very big, very exciting project. I’ll tell you and show you more in the new year…  So, stay tuned, guys!

Love, 

What I have learned helps to maintain good vibrations:
These past few years, I’ve started paying more attention to how I feel throughout the day. Whenever I’m not feeling great, I do something to increase my vibrations. This includes:
– Accepting the negative and accepting that I feel down and not dwelling or focusing my attention on it
– Walking in a park or in nature. Or just around the block… ; )
– Writing down 10 things that I am grateful for and feeling that gratitude
– Seeing friends who understand me and who focus on positivity in their lives
– Listening and dancing to my favorite music
– Sending love to people with whom I have a conflict

The result of this is learning to see my life experiences in the most positive light possible. I really notice that this improves my quality of life. Life isn’t always roses, but it does help to stay positive. If you don’t, it’s very easy to get trapped in a negative spiral that is difficult to get out of.

How do you open your heart? 

Books that have inspired me this year:

• The Untethered Soul – Michael A. Singer
• Power of Now – Eckhart Tolle
• Master your Mindset – Michael Pilarczyk
• You Were Born Rich – Bob Proctor
• The Gifts of Imperfection – Brene Brown
• Hoogsensitiviteit als kracht – Carolina Bont
• The Happiness Project – Gretchen Rubin

My favorite documentaries & films of 2017:

• Forks Over Knives
• What the Health
• Minimalism
• Chef’s Table
• Innsæi, The Power of Intuition
• Okja
• Embrace