“As soon as the Thanksgiving dinner plates are cleared, I am thinking about gingerbread,” says Nutritious Life’s spice mix guru chef Charla Contreras. “It’s one of the flavors I can’t get out of my head.”

Contreras is a Nutritious Life Certified chef and health coach with a stacked resume—she’s been a private chef for prominent families, ran a meal delivery company, and even competed on Cook Your Ass Off (where she met our founder Keri, who was a judge!) and season 12 of Chopped.

gingerbread spice blend

So it’s no surprise that instead of just buying a box of gingerbread cookies to satisfy her flavor craving, she came up with a much more innovative solution.

Contreras’ gingerbread spice blend is a mix of antioxidant-rich, warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and clove. It takes two minutes to make and then you can keep a jar of it handy all season long.

RELATED: 5 Healthy Baked Goods That Make Great Holiday Gifts

gingerbread spice blend

Once it’s ready, the possibilities extend way beyond adding it to sugar-bomb cookies (even if those little men are super cute!).

“You can you sprinkle on full-fat yogurt, on top of an almond milk latte, in overnight oats, in your favorite bliss ball recipe, on a grain-free granola bar, or on roasted carrots all year long,” Contreras says.

And okay, there’s no science behind this, but we have a sneaking suspicion that sniffing the jar during moments of intense holiday stress will totally help get you back into a happy, festive head space.

Get the full recipe, here.

gingerbread spice blend

More ways to spice up your cooking like chef Carla:

How to Make Your Own Delicious Taco Spice Mix
How to Make Trader Joe’s Everything Bagel Seasoning at Home

(Photos: Carla Contreras)

About Nutritious Life Editors

The Nutritious Life Editors are a team of healthy lifestyle enthusiasts who not only subscribe to — and live! — the 8 Pillars of a Nutritious Life, but also have access to some of the savviest thought leaders in the health and wellness space — including our founder and resident dietitian, Keri Glassman. From the hottest trends in wellness to the latest medical science, we stay on top of it all in order to deliver the info YOU need to live your most nutritious life.

WANT A SNEAK PEEK INSIDE THE PROGRAM?

Get FREE access to some of the core training materials that make up our signature program
– Become a Nutrition Coach.

STAY UP TO DATE

Don’t Miss Out on Living a Nutritious Life!

Sign up to our newsletter today

Nutritious Life Newsletter - articles sidebar

Bioptimizers

WANT TO KNOW THE RIGHT MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENT FOR YOU?

Magnesium Breakthrough contains all 7 forms of magnesium designed to help calm your mind and help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and wake up refreshed.

For an exclusive offer, go to bioptimizers.com/nlkeri and use promo code NLKERI for 10% off any order.

Interested in joining our wellness community and becoming a Nutritious Life Master Certified Nutrition and Wellness Coach?

Enter your info, get free access now to a sample class!

Inside Articles page - take a free class form

"*" indicates required fields

I agree*
I would like to receive text messages, and agree to the Terms of Service & Privacy Policy. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies.