Costco Food

bm_stclair

We shop at Costco all the time.
All of the below mentioned suggestions are great. My personal experience, and I think someone mentioned this below, is that some of the fresh veggies are not always the freshest and seem to go bad faster than grocery store veggies.
A good portion of the frozen meats they sell (fish in particular) also come individually packaged which helps with freezer burn so it'll keep in the freezer longer and helps with the "only cook the portion you need". (Extra food sitting around after dinner is a problem for me).
Having said that...
They also sell Rotisserie (sp) chickens at a decent price. It tastes good and is great for having already cooked chicken available in the evenings for that improptu chicken salad or wrap when you just dont feel like cooking anything. JUST DONT EAT THE SKIN. Don't get me wrong, the skin tastes great with the seasonings they use but all the books will tell you it's fattening and adds a bunch of extra calories. Also try to avoid sampling the chicken as you pick it off the bones. *points to self "GUILTY" *:-)
Most importantly!!!! Stay away from the candy isle! That gigantic box of *enter the candy of your choice* will scream at you. Nobody needs that kind of drama in their "healthy" shopping experience.
Good Luck!

coastalpines

We purchase our chicken breasts and frozen cooked shrimp at Costco; and more recently the Tilapia loins...they are Awesome! Even my husband eats the tilapia and he's not a fish eater. You can't go wrong with the frozen stir-fry veggies either...all of these options are healthy and economical ~ happy shopping!

Pandorian

I get my shrimp there, cooked tail off get a BIG bag of it for $15-20 when that's what a tiny little bag costs at the local grocery

I also buy my maple syrup there, 1L container for about $12-15 when the grocery charges $14 for a 500 or if you're lucky 750mL container.

Know your prices, not everything is "great" buy.

I do like to by my tortilla (flat bread) there which I make mini pizzas with, I think it's a 25 pack for $6 when the local is $5 for 8 in a pack.

Forgot the 2kg bag of frozen berries, that makes a LOT of smoothies for cheap
4L chocolate milk there is under $6 when it's $8 elsewhere..... really really just know your prices, and watch for "errors" if there are trays of meat at $10 and one is for $3 but it's the same size as the others.... no harm in taking one and letting them know of the error

OOOH, just spotted my vanilla. A full container of real vanilla extract (500mL I think) cost $6 from Costco and you pay $12 for a container half that size of the "Real" stuff or you can get an artificial one for $7 at that size.

therealangd

When I go to Costco, this is my list. ( I do buy other stuff at other stores. You have to know your prices well because you can get stuff cheaper elsewhere)

Baby Carrots
Celery
Grape Tomatos
English Cucumber
Romaine Lettuce
Bananas
Mushrooms
Any other Fruit and Veggie that might be a good price.
Frozen Chicken Breasts
Pork Tenderloin
Tilapia Filets
Frozen Strawberries
Frozen Mixed Berries
Frozen Fruit Salad
Frozen Stir Fry Veggies
Frozen Broccoli
Quaker Rolled Oats
Some sort of boxed Cereal
Canned Tomatos
Craisins
Greek Yogurt
Cottage Cheese

ETA: Pita Breads, Tortillas and Bread

Dammitviv

I get quite a bit of food there, some staples that are always a good price are baby portabella mushrooms, romaine hearts and pork sirloin tip roast (great for freezing, then cooking in the crockpot when you know you will have a late work day or busy saturday). Just be watchful of how much items are per unit, sometimes things that seem like a good deal are not. And keep an eye on the coupons they send out, great deals there.

KimmieBrie

Me personally I like most of their goods there. We buy the dried fruit & nuts to make healthier snacks. I find Costco gives us the ability to watch our processed food intake. I know for a fact that the protein bars and powder are not effective or good, but the multi vitamins are.
Good luck!

PS every time we exit Costco I’m $200 lighter in the bank account.

OMG if I could get my husband out of there at this amount I'd be a happy woman! We spend tons at Costco, every time.

We only go once a month or so - wait for the coupons and stock up on toilet paper, paper towels... and while there we food shop. I like the wild (not farmed) salmon and their meats. We also buy the giant bottle of Kirkland vodka... They (the employees at Costco) say the Kirkland vodka is produced by the same company as grey goose - however it is far inferior to grey goose. Still good though. They have those giant foil trays that are great when hosting. I like most of the Kirkland brand things I have tried.

LeiaBeekley

I buy the chicken breasts that come with about 8 breasts, I freeze them in individual freezer bags and thaw them out each day. Its a lot cheaper than the grocery store.

I do the same with the lean ground turkey and I always stock up on the fresh veggies.

CynGetsThin

Thanks for all the great ideas. I will have to make a list!

jj1983

Me personally I like most of their goods there. We buy the dried fruit & nuts to make healthier snacks. I find Costco gives us the ability to watch our processed food intake. I know for a fact that the protein bars and powder are not effective or good, but the multi vitamins are.
Good luck!

PS every time we exit Costco I’m $200 lighter in the bank account.

OMG if I could get my husband out of there at this amount I'd be a happy woman! We spend tons at Costco, every time.

We only go once a month or so - wait for the coupons and stock up on toilet paper, paper towels... and while there we food shop. I like the wild (not farmed) salmon and their meats. We also buy the giant bottle of Kirkland vodka... They (the employees at Costco) say the Kirkland vodka is produced by the same company as grey goose - however it is far inferior to grey goose. Still good though. They have those giant foil trays that are great when hosting. I like most of the Kirkland brand things I have tried.

I hate taking my husband to Costco! Last time we went together the grand total was $650 and that was even with me giving him a few things to put back.....let's just say I look forward to my Costco Rewards Cheque

KimmieBrie

Me personally I like most of their goods there. We buy the dried fruit & nuts to make healthier snacks. I find Costco gives us the ability to watch our processed food intake. I know for a fact that the protein bars and powder are not effective or good, but the multi vitamins are.
Good luck!

PS every time we exit Costco I’m $200 lighter in the bank account.

OMG if I could get my husband out of there at this amount I'd be a happy woman! We spend tons at Costco, every time.

We only go once a month or so - wait for the coupons and stock up on toilet paper, paper towels... and while there we food shop. I like the wild (not farmed) salmon and their meats. We also buy the giant bottle of Kirkland vodka... They (the employees at Costco) say the Kirkland vodka is produced by the same company as grey goose - however it is far inferior to grey goose. Still good though. They have those giant foil trays that are great when hosting. I like most of the Kirkland brand things I have tried.

I hate taking my husband to Costco! Last time we went together the grand total was $650 and that was even with me giving him a few things to put back.....let's just say I look forward to my Costco Rewards Cheque

If I went without him he'd be so hurt lol... he loves Costco. Every single time we go he has to leisurely walk up and down each and every single aisle... including the ones we need nothing in - the ones we never need anything in. He can't help himself! Like a kid in a candy store.... :ohwell:

Lesa_Sass

You guys are cracking me up. 600 bucks! HOLY COW!

Our Costco is 3 miles from our house. We go every Saturday morning at 9:30, when they open and get our food for the week.

I made a spreadsheet of all the things that we get at Costco and check off the things we need for that week or that month. That keeps us from spending more than we should.

BTW, the Kirkland brand of papertowels are wonderful, and to buy name brand toilet paper there is more expensive than at the grocery store when it is on sale.

shenanigansmo

Aside from all the things that everyone else mentioned, one of my very favorite things to buy there is their frozen Edamame. I can't remember the brand right now but it comes in a big orange bag with 6 smaller bags inside. It's great to put in salads, sautee with other veggies, or just eat them as a snack. When I'm sitting in front of the tv and get a craving to eat, I'll just toss a small bag of them in a bowl with a tiny bit of water, microwave them to steam them, then sprinkle just a little bit of salt over them. I'll pop them like popcorn while watching a movie. So good!

drog2323

-frozen fruit for smoothies
-canned tuna (super good deal there)
-Frozen Fish (I like Basa and Tilapia). Salmon is very good too. Just don't eat too much of the farmed stuff (atlantic). Oh, they also make good Mahi Mahi fish burger patties
-Hummus
-veggie platters (I don't use the dip)

ATT949

I buy almost all of my food at CostCo, to the point where I find prices in grocery stores to be amusing.

I've blind tasted foods between CostCo, Albertson's, and Whole Foods (!) to see if I can tell a difference between them. I have a decent palate for wine, scotch, and bourbon but I can't taste a difference between foods from those three sources.

Insofar as which foods, I haven't hit any foods at CostCo that weren't at least very good quality and there's simply no comparison when it comes to value (for me).

Best of luck with your weight loss!

daphnegetnfit

Agree with above, fruits and veggies are fantastic

Kirkland canned tuna - BEST tuna I ever had, not fishy smelling or after taste, I can make 2-3 tuna salads out of each can

Best Life Flat bread multigrain wraps - by the bread, great for making wraps and even pizza!

MochaMixAZ

I LOVE Costco. I shop there first for my week, and then fill in with grocery items.

I start in the refrigerated veggie section and load up on the ogranic fresh spinach (I add to my juicer, add to any ground meats, soups, etc), lettuces, and veggies. Then I go to the refrigerated dairy section for egg whites, greek yogurt, string cheese, and lowfat milk. Then to the non-refrig veggies and pick up tomoatos (for soup and sauces), avocados, and any other fruit that is in season (right now that's oranges). I also will pick up frozen blueberries or mixed berries for smoothies since these go bad so quickly when purchased fresh. Costco is a juicer's dream!

Then onto the meat section for frozen chicken breasts. I browse fresh meats, and depending on what is offered may pick up something there. I avoid the ground turkey at my CostCo because while it's labeled "lean" it's still 7% fat... and I like the 1% I can get from the grover. Then onto the frozen section for bulk frozen vegetables.

On occassion, I will get the corn tortillas... but other than that I try to avoid their (delicious) bread section.

And on the way out, I usually pick up a bag of almonds or pistachios.


OH! And I almost forgot - it's a GREAT FIND for my dogs, too. We buy their bulk dog food (compared to the expensive brands and is even better nutritionally), rawhides (at half the cost of Petsmart), and 44 lbs of kitty litter.

Debbe2

Organic chicken, organic ground beef, Morningstar products like Veggie Burgers, organic eggs and milk and chicken broth. Their salmon filets are excellent! I love cottage cheese but I don't care for Costco's at all. I buy Hummus, chicken sausage with artichoke and mozzarella, Turkey meatballs (seasonal item) and Premiere protein shakes and bars, and pure protein bars. Enjoy shopping! Almost forgot I always pick up a package of hard boiled eggs ready made, And their peanut butter is delicious! Husband likes their greek yogurt.

walkwithme1

We have Sams club here which is pretty much the same thing. Frozen boneless skinless chicken breast is great. I can thaw 1 and it is big enough to feed two. I buy peanut butter there toilet paper. Salad mix. Canned chicken is cheaper there.
I even buy some of my workout clothes there. Love it!

EMarvie

LOVE COSTCO - they have lots of selection of great lean meats - and I buy the janes premade frozen chicken - it's all cut up great for salads or wraps - on sale right now for $10 or so- it's the same as 11 chicken breasts. wonderful!

Happy Shopping!

gatecityradio

What I get:
Kirkland Organic Plain Soy Milk in bulk.
Kirkland frozen boneless skinless chicken breast in bulk, they are individually wrapped which is nice.
Kirkland 16.9 oz water bottles in bulk.
Bananas
Kirkland low fat sliced turkey in bulk.
Frozen Berries in huge bags for smoothies and shakes.
Kirkland Fish Oil caps.
They have huge bags of protein shake mixes.
Kirkland Raw Almonds
I got 10lbs of plain oatmeal for hella cheap one time, forgot the brand name.
JIF peanut butter, comes two large jars. I have tried the Kirkland organic peanut butter but I'm not a huge fan, I use what I have left of it in recipes.
I got a huge thing of olive oil there once too, use it to sautee squash.
I use to get their cottage cheese, but I'm getting a lower fat kind at foodlionr now that I'm on my diet.
I get spices there in bulk for cooking.
They have bulk plain hummus....but I'm not a fan so I get garlic hummus at foodlion.
I get canned tuna and canned chicken on occasion.
Grannola bars in bulk

Honestly you just have to take the extra time one day to go in there and explore.

kyoules

Quinoa - cheaper than I've seen at any other grocery store
Kirkland dried cherries
Babybel Light cheese
Used to buy hummus, but now I just make my own
Pecans

Speedo swimsuit for my water aerobics class for only like $20