The Best Items for a Well Stocked, Clean Eating Pantry From Costco!

 My Costco Shopping List--With Pictures!

As soon as Cam and I moved in together I insisted that we get a Costco membership.  It is the closest grocery store to us (less than a mile away!), there are lots of organic options, and it's great for a borderline hoarder/doomsday prepper like me!  Kidding...but you should have seen me stock up for  Hurricane Harvey.  We were lucky and just had some rain and never even lost power but I was prepared to survive off of protein bars, beans, tuna, and PB&J sandwiches for AT LEAST three weeks.  Despite living within 2 miles of Costco, Trader Joes, Walmart, Whole Foods, HEB, AND Target, I like to keep a very well stocked pantry.  We eat at home 95% of the time and I always make Cam's lunches for work, so I like to always make sure I have plenty of ingredients on hand for our favorite meals.  Since we just moved to San Antonio we don't have lots of friends that we just invite over last minute, but when we lived in Kentucky I always liked to make sure I had something I could throw together quickly if I had an unexpected or last minute guest!  

I definitely don't do ALL of my shopping at Costco, but I do like to stock up on our pantry staples and certain items.  I asked my family to read my blog posts and give me feedback and my dad said "your blog just sounds like a Costco commercial"...he's definitely not wrong!  Most of my favorite items come from Costco and if I had to I think I could exclusively shop there.  I have all of my favorite items listed below with pictures and prices!  Costco is great about offering local items, so some of these might not be available at your store or the prices might be different.  Although I do usually have all of these things in my pantry or fridge, I definitely do NOT buy one of everything each time I go.  For example, I bought frozen berries, pesto, and almond butter on my first trip to Costco in late July and I'm still using those original products in the middle of September!  I typically buy avocados every time I go--they were actually out of them today and I bonded with the old man in front of me in line over the TRAGEDY that is a week without avocados.  Fortunately I can go back to get them tomorrow (they said they would get a shipment then!), but he lives 25 miles away and only comes once a week! 

First, my favorite items that I didn't take pictures of: 

-Dave's Killer Bread--I swear I took a picture of this, but it's nowhere to be found on my phone!  It's $6.99 for two loaves of organic, whole wheat bread.  Even Cam loves this bread!!

-Avocados--like I said before, they were out.  But they are HUGE and a bag of 5 is around $7.  

-Terra Chips--I couldn't find these today, but I bought a huge bag of them a few weeks ago for around $7 and will definitely buy another if they come back! 

-Lemons and Limes--totally forgot to take a picture of these, but we always buy a big bag and keep them in the fruit drawer of the fridge!  We add fresh lemon or lime to most of our recipes and definitely to our margaritas!

Favorites with pictures: sorry these aren't the best quality!  I tried to make sure I got the price tag in the picture so I wouldn't forget how much they cost and I went as quickly as possible so I wouldn't annoy or slow down other shoppers!

-Kirkland Tortilla Chips--$3.49.  These are delicious, cheap, and not too salty!  

 

-Wild Caught Soho (or sometimes sockeye) Salmon--$9.99/lb.  This is delicious and a great deal for wild caught salmon!  Just be careful if you don't like "fishy" fish--this has a much stronger taste than normal salmon!

-Chicken Breasts--$2.89/lb.  These come in HUGE packages, and the breasts are packed in pairs.  I recommend looking for the one with the lowest price (because it's the smallest) and cutting the packages apart before freezing--otherwise defrosting is not fun! 

--Kirkland Oven Roasted Turkey Breast--$6.59/lb.  These turkey slices are thick and very good!  I've also gotten the honey roasted but personally I think it's too sweet. 

--Fresh Mozzarella Snacking Cheese--$8.49.  I always end up wasting mozzarella because it comes in such huge containers and goes bad quickly once it's been opened.  These are great because they allow you to only open the amount that you need!  You could also pack them in a lunch as a snack. 

--Aidelis Chicken and Apple Sausages--$13.99 for 3lbs.  These are delicious and SO versatile!  They're fully cooked and can be frozen.  I love them with eggs, with sweet potatoes, in a bun, on a pizza, in pasta...they're delicious! 

--"Baby Creamers" Potato Medley--$7.49 for 5lbs.  I LOVE roasted potatoes and these are great!  They're small so you can roast them whole or chop them up.  They're also delicious added to crockpot recipes or mashed.  

--Cherry Tomatoes--$4.99 for 2lbs.  I eat these on everything!  Salads, pastas, burrito/rice bowls, in scrambled eggs, on top of pizza, with hummus...

--Kirkland's Basil Pesto--$7.99 (The price in the picture is actually for a different item--I realized and googled the correct price)!  This is a must have!  It's great on salmon, roasted veggies, chicken, sandwiches, quiche, turkey burgers, and pasta!  

--Organic Squash/Zucchini--$6.49 for 3.5lbs.  I LOVE zucchini and squash.  I pan fry it, bake it with parmesan, spiralize and shred it, fill it with pizza or taco ingredients for "zucchini boats", and bake it into breads.  I've also been experimenting with freezing it--stay tuned for more info on that soon!

--Sweet Chopped Kale Salad--$4.99.  I LOVE this salad mix and it usually lasts me all week long!  It comes with craisins, pumpkin seeds, and poppyseed dressing, but it's also great with tomatoes, avocado, and balsamic dressing!  It seems to last longer than other precut lettuces and doesn't get slimy.  

--Three Berry Frozen Blend--$8.99 for 4lbs--these berries have lasted me SO long (we drink a lot of smoothies) and they're delicious!  

--Cage Free Eggs--$3.79 for 2 dozen.  We eat fried eggs almost every morning and I love making egg salad for lunch or egg and veggie frittatas for breakfast! 

--Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter--$7.99.  This butter is SO GOOD.  It's from grassfed cows and I use it on EVERYTHING!  I keep it in my freezer and just use a sharp knife to cut of the amount that I need.  

--Kodiak Cakes Flapjack Mix--11.99 for 4.5lbs.  This pancake mix is SO GOOD.  So far I've only used it to make pancakes and cookies, but I can't wait to make breads, crusts, and muffins too!  It's loaded with protein and whole grains, so it's definitely a healthier choice than your average Bisquick. 

--Extra Virgin Olive Oil--$11.79.  This container of EVOO is huge and we use so much of it! 

--Organic Chicken Stock--$11.79 for 6 32oz containers.  Another must have for soups, crockpot recipes, risottos, rice and quinoa, etc.  I love that this one has low sodium and is organic! 

--Garofalo Organic Pasta Variety Pack--$8.99 for 6 1 lbs bags.  This pasta is delicious and great to have on hand for quick and easy dinners! 

--Victoria White Linen Marinara--$8.99 for two 40oz bottles.  This is one of my favorite Costco finds!  I am SO picky about Marinara...I typically refuse to buy it and just make my own.  But this one is absolutely delicious, has all natural ingredients (including low sugar and low sodium), and such a great price!  We use it on pizzas, in pastas, and to top veggies.  

--Organic Black Beans--$6.79 for 8 15oz cans.  These black beans are organic, low sodium, and in BPA free cans.  They're great for burrito bowls, rice bowls, and crockpot meals!  Also a great protein source to have on hand if you lose power...am I the only one who thinks about these things?!

--Mateo's Gourmet Salsa--$5.99.  THIS IS SO GOOD.  Great with chips, but even better if you pour it over some peppers and chicken and it cook in the slowcooker all day...recipe coming soon!

--Wild Caught Albacore Tuna--$14.99.  We love tuna salad, rice bowls with tuna, and tuna cakes!  When I start working again I will definitely keep a few cans of tuna (and black beans!) at my desk for days when I forget lunch or don't have time to pack it. 

--Tomato Paste/Diced Tomatoes/Stewed Tomatoes--$6.49-$6.79 each.  So great to have on hand to quickly make your own pasta sauces, pizza sauces, vegetable soups, and chili!  I also love to throw a can of diced tomatoes into my enchiladas (recipe for those coming soon too!)

--Chia Seeds--$6.49.  This bag is massive!  It will probably last me at least 6 months, if not longer, and that's if I'm adding them to my smoothies every single day!  I love chia seeds because they have protein, calcium, fiber, and omega 3's!

--Kirkland's Almond Butter--$7.79.  I love this almond butter because the only ingredient is roasted almonds!  It's not super flavorful, so if I put it on toast or frozen waffles I usually add cinnamon or a few chocolate chips too!  For an easy, healthy dessert you can chop up an apple and add 2tbsp almond butter and 1 tbsp cinnamon and microwave for 1 minute.  So yummy, especially in the winter! 

--Bananas--$1.39 for 3lbs.  I buy these and freeze them for my smoothies or make banana bread with them!

--Pink Apples--$8.99 for 5lbs.  I keep these in the fruit drawer of the fridge and they stay good forever!  Costco has tons of fresh fruit, but with the exception of apples that stay good for a long time and bananas or grapes that I can freeze I'm usually hesitant to buy their fruit (berries, peaches, melons, etc.).  While I love fruit and I think they have great quality, with only two people in the house we just can't eat that much fruit at once!  If I ever do think something is a great deal or I really want to buy it, I typically just use what I can and then freeze it for later use in smoothies before it goes bad.

--Organic Hummus Singles--$6.49 for 20.  This hummus is delicious!  I love it with carrots, cucumbers, tortilla chips, and terra chips.   

--Baby Spinach/Power Greens--$3.99-$4.99.  I don't love spinach salads, but I always add it to my smoothies and fritattas.  I buy these large packages, transfer to gallon size bags, and freeze! 

--Romaine--$3.99 for 6 heads.  Great for salads, but I only buy this if I know we will eat a lot of salads that week because it's a LOT of lettuce for two people!  Sometimes they have petite heads of romaine and I prefer those. 

--Green Grapes--$6.99 for 4lbs.  I buy these and immediately freeze half of them--I just rinse them and once they're dry I put them in a large ziploc or tupperware!  They make a great treat when you want something cold and sweet, and Cam likes taking the nonfrozen ones to lunch! 

--Cucumbers--$3.49 for 3 giant cucumbers.  These are great for our favorite Greek recipes and with hummus!  I love making toast and topping with hummus and cucumber slices.  I also like adding cucumber to my water! 

--Organic Peeled Carrots--$5.29 for 5lbs.  I usually use about half of this bag and then chop and freeze the rest.  These carrots are great in lunches or for a snack with hummus, in crockpot chicken or soup recipes, and roasted with potatoes!  Some people also use them as dog treats, but Bear is a weirdo and just chews on them and then spits them out. 

--French Beans--$4.99 for 2 lbs.  These are GREAT roasted with broccoli, cherry tomatoes, and topped with pesto.  Also great boiled, baked, in stir fries or in crockpot recipes!  I can't usually finish the whole bag, so I just wash them, remove the ends, flash freeze on trays, and then transfer them to a freezer bag.  Most people say that you need to blanch green beans before freezing them, but I found that they're just fine if you don't! 

--Organic Broccoli--$5.99 for 3lbs.  I don't LOVE broccoli, but I am trying to add it to more recipes because I know it's so good for me!  This container is huge and a great price.  I tried blanching and freezing it and it turned out okay, but honestly if I want frozen broccoli I will still probably buy prefrozen from a normal grocery store because the texture is better!

--Beef Loin New York Steak--$6.99/lb.  I don't eat beef, but Cam LOVES it and he says this is a great price and that their beef is delicious!  

--Vitamix--$349.00 this is the exact model of Vitamix that I have!  I absolutely love it and the stirring stick is SO helpful.  I know it's expensive, but if you use blenders a lot I swear this one is worth every penny! 

There are a few other items from Costco that I usually keep on hand, like shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, strawberries, rice, and quinoa, but these items are sold in such large quantities that I don't necessarily recommend getting them from Costco unless you use them A LOT or have a larger family.  We also love the apple crumble muffins from the deli, but they are HUGE and only sold in packs of 12, which is not ideal for our family of two!  Later I plan to share my shopping lists from Trader Joes and HEB, or even just a "what's in my fridge" or "what's in my pantry" post.  Let me know if these posts would interest you or if you have any questions!