Favorite Holiday Memories + Your Fave Recipes!
And Homemade Dog Treats - a great gift idea!
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Happy Monday! Today, we want to share some of our favorite holiday memories when it comes to food - we hope you enjoy reading these as much as we loved to reminisce about them! We are also giving a rundown of the most-opened recipes this year… these are the recipes you liked, forwarded, and opened from when we launched back in April until now! The most popular is a crowd-pleasing, hearty meal, so be sure to check the list! And finally, a new video, How To Make Homemade Dog Treats. These are a perfect gift for the dog lovers in your life, plus, they’re easy to make.
Later this week, keep your eyes peeled for:
Your favorite In The News Topics from 2025 - open for everyone to read for a limited time!
Diana on handling weight gain in pregnancy
Garlic for a boosted immune system (including our secret to boosting its health benefits)
Our top three favorite food recommendations
Your favorite breakfast muffin recipes (perfect for hosting holiday guests!)
We want to know: What are your favorite meal-related holiday memories? Share in the comments!
(P.S. Become a paid subscriber to join the full conversation.)
Favorite Holiday Memories
Dr. Weil
In 1970, I was living on the Rosebud Lakota Reservation in South Dakota and had newly committed myself to being a vegetarian. On Thanksgiving, the family I lived with, my teacher, and a medicine man, asked me to cook dinner. I told him I was a vegetarian and didn’t eat turkey anymore. I vividly remember him saying, “White man steal Indian land, and now white man won’t cook turkey for Indian?”
That was the end of that discussion. I went out, bought a turkey, and cooked it.
I shared this story a few weeks ago, but years later, at a holiday potluck, I brought a vegan squash pie. I didn’t tell anyone it was vegan, and to my delight, it won best pie that year. People raved about the texture and the flavor, and it’s still one of my favorite desserts to make. Give it a try:
During the second year of the AWCIM (Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine) program, when we had our very first four fellows, we decided to sing carols at the University of Arizona hospital pediatric department. Three female fellows dressed up as elves, and I was Santa Claus – the costume department loved it because they didn’t have to glue on a beard.
We made it through a few carols before the head nurse marched over, stone-faced, and kicked us out. That was the end of my holiday caroling career.
When I was 17, on a trip around the world I had won via a writing contest, we spent Christmas in India. They rented a hotel ballroom and attempted to recreate a traditional American holiday meal. Most of the kids were from the Midwest and traveling abroad for the first time. I remember the meal was an odd one - very spicy and very improvised. One girl from Ohio was particularly miserable.
Meanwhile, outside, women were making patties for heating from cow dung. I wrapped one up and gave it to her as a gift. That wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but at 17, you sometimes learn your lessons the hard way.
Diana
I remember one Christmas, after dinner, we all headed downstairs for something - I don’t remember what for. We had left the dishes and plates on the table to deal with later. We came back upstairs to find our German shepherd puppy standing on the dining table, absolutely elated, devouring what was left from dinner. I imagine that was his favorite Christmas!
When I was around eight and at home by myself, I decided to help cook a holiday meal, but I didn’t realize Tupperware was in the oven. I turned it on, and within minutes, the kitchen filled with the horrible smell of melting plastic and smoke pouring from the vents. I remember panicking, standing on a chair, clutching a fire extinguisher, convinced the whole house was minutes from burning down. Nothing actually caught fire, but I am still scarred from that memory. You won’t catch me ever storing things in the oven!
A few years ago, my boyfriend (now husband) was working in Chile, and I traveled down to spend Christmas with him. They prepared a traditional lamb asado - a whole lamb, stretched on a cross that’s slowly roasting over an open fire for hours. I appreciated the cultural experience, but it was a bit much for a lifelong vegetarian. I think I spent most of that day staring off into the distance.
Lately, we’ve loved spending the holidays camping in the desert. There’s something magical about being out in the middle of nowhere over the holidays with the ones you love, spending quiet nights under the stars. And even though we’re camping, we still love cooking big holiday meals. We use our Dutch ovens and pile them on top of each other. And honestly, those have turned out to be some of my favorite meals and holiday memories.
Your Favorite Recipes From 2025
These are the recipes that were most shared, opened, and liked. For a limited time, all are free to all our Weil Nutrition™ Corner subscribers - thank you!
Asparagus and Pea Potato Salad
This potato salad is full of phytonutrients and complex carbohydrates from the veggies and potatoes. If you’d like to make it more of a complete meal, try adding protein: hard-boiled eggs, baked tofu, chicken, or shrimp all make great additions.
Lemon Olive Oil Cake
While you might be hesitant to use olive oil in a dessert recipe, such fears are groundless. Olive oil gives this cake a unique flavor and richness that is balanced out by a little sweetness and the light freshness of lemons. Hesitate no more!
Turmeric Tea
The promising aspect of turmeric is notable in the context of healthy aging and an anti-inflammatory diet. In India, where turmeric is a staple in daily curries, there is one of the world’s lowest rates of Alzheimer’s disease, suggesting a potential link between regular turmeric consumption and improved brain health. If you would like to try it, here’s a turmeric tea recipe. Feel free to experiment with the ingredients and flavorings until you find a combination that suits your taste.
Bonus Post: Homemade Pickles!
We both love pickled foods, but we recommend ones that have been naturally fermented and contain live organisms. We also love making our own pickles, even if it takes a bit more time. And not just regular pickles made from cucumbers but also Kimchi, other pickled vegetables, and sauerkraut. If you enjoy pickled foods, try making your own!
Diana's Matcha Energy Bites
Part of the Weil Nutrition Corner™ Upgrade Your Plate Challenge, this dessert option is a delicious, simple sweet treat.
Grilled Salmon With Mustard Sauce
Here is simple grilled salmon dressed up with a strongly flavored sauce that complements the natural oiliness of the fish. And unlike many sauces recommended for fish, this one is very low in fat. (Salmon is full of healthful omega-3 fatty acids and certainly does not need to be cooked with butter or served with any additional fat.)
Crispy Gnocchi with Tomatoes, Zucchini & Burrata
This has become one of our favorite weeknight meals. It’s ready in about 20-25 minutes and both colorful and nutritious. Feel free to swap out burrata for mozzarella balls or even feta, although we love how the burrata adds a creaminess.
Nut & Seed Energy Bites
Each of these easy-to-make bites is packed with protein, fiber, healthy fats, and essential minerals, promoting muscle health.
Hormone-Balancing Flaxseed Smoothie
This peri-menopause-friendly smoothie recipe is easy to make and provides healthy nutrients needed during this time in life.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom Sauté with Garlic & Greens
This recipe delivers Lion’s Mane’s brain-boosting benefits, garlic for immune health, and leafy greens for antioxidants and minerals - all in one quick, anti-inflammatory side or light meal.
And The Most Opened and Liked Recipe from 2025…
Energy-Boosting Lentil Soup
Lentils are good for energy because they are rich in complex carbohydrates that provide a slow, sustained energy release, and they contain iron which is crucial for producing energy-transporting red blood cells and fighting fatigue. Their high fiber content also helps prevent energy-sapping blood sugar spikes, further contributing to stable and lasting energy levels. This is a hearty soup, perfect for lunch or dinner!
P.S. If you haven’t yet, download our Slow Cooker Guide! Filled with 17 Anti-inflammatory Recipes, it is free for all - pass along to family and friends, too!
How to Make Homemade Dog Treats
Easy Recipe: 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Banana Treats
This simple, popular recipe is safe and easy to make - your dogs will love them!
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