life assessment

i adore life quizzes! this life assessment exercise measures your level of satisfaction with different areas in your life. completing this assessment will help you begin to set your goals. enjoy the test!

Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter

Another great night! I was content and happy as I wondered my way through the fog last night.

Melissa, thank you for providing such an amazingly beautiful setting. Your home more than encapsulates you - it's warm, intimate, and oh-so stunning. Jen, thank you for those delectable desserts! Mmm Milton's. Heidi and Karina, thank you for putting it all together - you were both so fit for this task. I am looking forward to the Life Assessment and Goal Setting homework...I really am!

Here is the recipe from last night. I cut the ingredients in half for our meeting of 7-10. I left out the eggs and anchovies and added butter leaf lettuce. I find cherry tomatoes and black Kalamata olives (for color contrast) make a better presentation than the suggestions within the recipe. Oh, I also used white wine vinegar instead of champagne vinegar because it's what I had on hand. Enjoy!


Roasted Salmon Nicoise Platter

Directions
4 lemons, zested and juiced

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 pounds skin-on fresh salmon fillets
3 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
1 1/2 pounds haricots verts, stems removed
3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges (6 small tomatoes)
12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and cut in 1/2
1 bunch watercress or arugula
1/2 pound large green olives, pitted
1 can anchovies, optional
Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

For the marinade, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, mustard, garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1/2 tablespoon pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

Place the salmon on a sheet pan that has been covered in aluminum foil, and drizzle the marinade over the salmon. Allow the salmon to sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot off the heat and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Leave the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender but firm. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice them in thick slices and set aside.

Place the salmon in the oven and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until it is almost cooked through. Remove to a plate and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the skin and break into large pieces.

Blanch the haricots verts in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 1/2 minutes only. Drain immediately and immerse in a bowl of ice water. Drain again and set aside.

For the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Set aside.

Arrange the salmon, potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, eggs, watercress, olives and anchovies, if used, on a large flat platter. Drizzle some vinaigrette over the fish and vegetables and serve the rest in a pitcher on the side.

goal setting worksheet

this worksheet will help you achieve your goals by developing a plan of action using micro steps.

goal setting: an action plan

this is an action plan for goal setting. each step is clearly outlined to help you figure out the goals that you want to achieve, set up a plan of action to achieve them and get over any barriers that lie in the way.

goal setting

As the year rapidly comes to a close, it is the perfect time to reflect back upon where we have been and begin to think about where we are going. This month we will explore the art of setting goals and creating direction in our life.

Most of us are familiar with the first step in setting goals, writing them down. It is the steps that lead to fulfilling these goals that we often struggle to follow. The good news is that we are all experienced with making lists of daily or weekly things to do, errands to run and schedules for our busy lives. These are all forms of goal setting. We can learn to take these daily-organizing skills and use them as a guide to creating the life that we want to live. By spending some time to reflect on what you want to achieve and writing your down specific goals, you give focus to your daily actions which will lead you to living a life that you are consciously choosing and creating.

Questions for the discussion:

• Have you set goals in the past? If so, how often? (at a crossroads in your life, new years goals or resolutions, from time to time)

• Have you taken steps to accomplish your goals and acknowledge when goals have been met?

• Do you tend to live an intentional life or do you go more with whatever comes along?

• What are some of the biggest goals you have set and accomplished?

Homework:

1. Life List: Begin your goal setting process by writing down all of the things that you dream of doing, accomplishing and experiencing. This is an unedited list of the big and small things that you want to do in your life. Write down everything that comes to mind, you can go back and narrow it down later. You might find yourself adding to the list in the days or weeks following.

2. Current Goals: Using your Life List, make a list of the current goals that you would like to focus on right now. This should be a small, manageable, attainable list. You may have one goal that you wish to focus on or you may want to use the list below and choose a goal in each of the various dimensions of life.

1. career/ work
2. wealth/ finances
3. physical/ health
4. emotional/ relationships
5. spiritual/ conscious living
Once you set a goal, you'll start seeing opportunities to make it happen. Let the creating begin!

Looking forward to another enlightening evening.
Karina & Heidi