Healthy Meals for Uni Students (Paid Partnership with Co-op Food and Britmums).

Back in September we waved 3 of our young people off to uni, 2 of them as Freshers starting their 1st Year. Before she went I had a special 'goodbye tea' with my daughter and last Friday we turned the tables. It was my turn to visit her at Uni and she had to cook for me. I also had a peep in her kitchen cupboards to see if she really is eating healthily...

My daughter had mock exams until late afternoon, so I met her straight afterwards at the Student Union. There's a Co-op food store really close by and we headed over there and picked up the ingredients. It's a gorgeous Co-op with loads of space...

The Co-op are working with MOB Kitchen and you may have seen one of the crew, Ben, in the October issue of Co-op magazine (found in-store). They've put together a collection of recipes that are easy to make, healthy and filling, and so we decided to choose a recipe from the list.

My daughter made the selection as she was cooking for me this time and she chose Loaded Veggie Quesadillas. It's from the same area of the world as our previous recipe, Easy Veggie Tacos, but still very different. It's actually easier and takes up less of your time.

Recipe Ingredients:

Red Pesto
8 Tortilla Wraps
320g Wyke Farms Mature Cheddar
2 Red Onions
4 Peppers
3 Courgettes
2 Aubergines

Despite me saying I'd happily throw in some extras and pay for them, my daughter was very reserved in her shopping. Only 2 months in and already she is thinking really frugally - we spent £22 including her 'treats' - the Friday night lagers, face wipes and washing up liquid!

Their kitchen was incredibly clean and tidy for a house with 6 students (thank you everyone!) and we soon had the veg chopped, on a tray and drizzled with a little oil for roasting. Roasted vegetables are sweet and full of flavour, and definitely worth doing if you have time. Half an hour later and we were ready to build the Quesadillas.

Here's the whole trip on video - plus a few thoughts from my daughter on her first 2 months buying and cooking for herself - and her tips for saving money on food. And not forgetting....what was in her cupboard?

Our Co-op didn't have a vegetarian red pesto, so we improvised with a nice spicy basil pasta sauce. One of the secrets to cooking is that recipes can almost always be adapted. We also replaced the aubergines with mushrooms and bought a huge block of my daughter's chosen cheese, so that she can use the 'leftovers'.

5 minutes in the pan and the tortillas are crisp, and it's ready to eat... The lighting in the kitchen is shocking, but I can promise you it was gorgeous.

Then there were just the pots to finish off... and the train home to Manchester!

This was such a lovely thing to do. It was incredibly nice to spend time with one of my children alone, however grown up she is now. I've seen her uni notes, know more of her housemates and understand what she needs to brighten her room - I know exactly what she needs for Christmas. I also know that she really is cooking incredibly healthily and looking after herself well. She's doing grand...

You can find the full instructions for the Loaded Veggie Quesadillas on the Mob Kitchen website, where you'll also find loads more healthy, filling, frugal and easy recipes ideal for students. I also have a selection of easy recipes listed on my Food Page - most of my recipes are suitable for vegetarians.

I'm a huge supporter of the Co-op, their support for communities locally and worldwide, strong ethical policies and commitment to supply good quality produce. Find out more by checking out the Co-op Food website or by following on social media @CoopUKFood, where you can also find out about the latest deals and offers.

As a Co-op member, when you buy selected products and services, including from food stores and Co-op Electricals, you earn 5% of your spend back. Students with TOTUM cards (previously NUS Extra) get an extra 10% off on top at over 2000 Co-Operative stores nationwide.

This blog post and video are part of a paid project with The Co-op and BritMums to get students cooking and eating healthy meals sponsored by The Co-op. Visit Co-Op Food to plan a meal that brings your family together!