Cranberry Coffee Cake With Almond Streusel

Sweet-tart cranberries add something special and festive to this cake. You can switch up the almonds with walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts, or go totally nut-free with large-flake rolled oats.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

A chewy, buttery centre and a crisp edge make this the ultimate oatmeal cookie. Quick-cooking rolled oats are the key to the well-loved, homey texture, so be sure to avoid instant oats, which will cause the cookies to spread too much.

Best-Ever Whole-Grain Pancakes

Multigrain flour, rolled oats and wheat germ give these quite chewy pancakes a wholesome flavour. Multigrain flour is a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flours, cracked wheat and rye and whole flaxseeds. For a less chewy version, substitute whole wheat flour for the multigrain.

Cinnamon Oat Pancake Mix

Rolled oats are a healthy addition to pancakes. Our mix makes enough for one batch of healthy pancakes, but you can double or triple it. Present the mix in a festive jar or an airtight container, such as a cookie tin, with the Cinnamon Oat Pancakes recipe (see below) on a matching card. Add a bottle of maple, birch or fruit syrup for a special gift.

Salsa Meat Loaf

Nothing says comfort food more than a piping hot slice of meat loaf served with mashed potatoes and gravy. Of course, the fat in a slice of meat loaf alone amounts to about 17 grams, even when you use lean ground beef. To lighten it, this uses extra-lean ground beef, rolled oats and vegetables for increased fibre plus a salsa topping instead of the usual high-sugar ketchup or chili sauce. Cooking the loaf free form on a baking sheet drains away the fat, which results in only 206 calories and 7 grams of fat per serving.

Date and Raisin Squares

Oatmeal Banana Quick Bread

Bananas help reduce the amount of fat needed both to make this loaf and keep it moist. Let bananas ripen fully, even to the brown-skin stage, for ultimate flavour.

Two-Grain Cranberry Bread

You can slice, wrap and freeze individual pieces of this dense loaf for a portable breakfast. Spread it with light cream cheese and add some fresh fruit and a glass of orange juice for a satisfying breakfast.

Apple Streusel Cheesecake

Nova Scotia Oatmeal Rolls

The dough is enough to make a dozen moist, nutty-flavoured rolls or two delicious loaves of bread.