costcooooo!!!!! is it just me or did costco recently become super in vogue? it’s not just me, i know it. we’ve been going to costco for like ten years (soooo ahead of the times, us hunts!) but i’ve never thought, until recently, that anyone would take a second glance at a post like this. i think it might be that costco is on the up-and-up with their products, offering more organic products all the time, and just quality foods in general. plus, it’s always changing. and those giant aisles?! you can’t beat it. in the dead of winter, costco is like a haven for mothers with small children. find an empty aisle and go crazy, kids! also, i didn’t even mention below, but the goods in the middle! the clothing and books! i just grabbed some volcom goods for william. $10 a shirt! those shirts otherwise are like $30. you can’t beat that price. anyway, i’ve had a few (two) people ask for a post on what we buy at costco, so here goes. the last time i was there my bill was a whopping $500 (i didn’t love it.). so, you can bet, there’s more of these posts to come. (and my apologies to those who aren’t members!! i won’t do too many of these posts.)
you’ll never need to make brownies from scratch again. ever.
kirkland organic boxed chicken broth//
we buy a big box of this (more than one, really) and use it all winter long if i haven’t made my own broth, which is a lot of the time! soups, chilis, etc.
this apple-chicken sausage is newer to our costco and is really good. while it’s not organic, it is nitrate-free with no added hormones. it’s fully cooked, so warming it up is a cinch. i heat it in some olive oil or butter and then cut it up for the boys with some broccoli for lunch. or throw it on a skillet for dinner withs some peppers and onions and rice. top it with sour cream and cheese. mmmm.
these are perfect for dipping in hummus, eating with cheese, or packing in a lunch. they’re also non-gmo. and the bag is huge and lasts forever, even in our family!
these are a total treat for the boys. think of them as an airhead for the healthier-minded folks. i stick them in parker’s lunchbox, or in my bag on the way out. they’re so easy to pack.
kirkland’s meat lasagna is soooo delicious. not to be confused with their smaller sausage/beef one, i’m talking about the 6 lb. one. i am ashamed to say i’ve never made a lasagna–ever. but i feel like i don’t have to since this one exists. and even though it is technically frozen food, which i tend to stay away from, i’ve read and reread the ingredients and they are not scary at all: no msg, no soybean oil, etc. just things that actually belong in a lasagna. about once or twice a month on a busy evening, i make this. only downside–cooking time is almost 2 hours. plan ahead!
things at costco that we did not like: that chopped raw salad (chicory, brussel sprouts, kale, etc.) with poppyseed dressing. could be that i didn’t use all of the poppyseed dressing (crappy ingredients!), but to quote steve, “i feel like i’m eating weeds.”
what are your costco favorites?!
also, if you’re not already following… the geniuses from the @targetdoesitagain account started one for costco. it’s @costco_doesitagain (clever) and it’s great. the only problem–you may go searching your costco like a madwoman for things they feature only to discover your costco doesn’t carry them at all. like i did with the chocolate almond butter tarts.
We primarily get our applesauce pouches and produce from Costco, but my husband is a HUGE fan of their Morningstar chipotle black bean burgers. We also occasionally find awesome deals on merchandise (picked up Puddle Jumpers for the kids at our last visit for $14.99 each–better than any price I had found online) and will pick up items that have warehouse coupons depending on the week. If you use a Keurig they have really cheap pods called San Francisco Bay which are both cheap and environmentally friendly as they do not use plastic like k-cups do!
The timing for this post is so funny, because I literally just went to Costco yesterday with my business school operations class and got a tour by the cofounder, Jim Sinegal! My professor is working with him and so he flew out to visit our class and take us around the Waltham Costco. It was amazing! Also great to see how all the employees just love him.
They are such a fantastic company. They always put their customers and employees first, so I'm very happy to support them by shopping there.
Also my husband is obsessed with the Kirkland trail mix — high ratio of M&Ms to nuts 🙂
I grew up going to Costco (I grew up in Atlanta) so when I moved here, my husband's family were avid-BJ's goers and I just couldn't get behind it! Costco all the way! My mother-in-law still swears by BJ's but I think she's just being stubborn and doesn't want to admit her daughter-in-law is right 😉
Costco is WAY better than Sams and BJs… hands down. There is just no comparison when it comes to the quality and variety of the merchandise.
I love Costco. I hate that the nearest one is 30 minutes away, though – it's simply too far for me to do any more now that I'm back working full-time. I've started buying some of my bulk items via boxed.com, which helps ease the pain a little bit. Anyway, I ADORE those ghirardelli brownies – they are a pantry staple in our house. I used to love getting organic boneless chicken breasts at Costco too – they freeze well, and they were so. much. cheaper! Also dishwasher soap, batteries, frozen berries (smoothies and oatmeal!), black beans, tortillas, big tub of cashews… Oh I miss it.
We used to live relatively close to a Costco and I bought a few staples there. Namely, the Kirkland brand baby wipes! I also really like getting quinoa from there as it is WAY cheaper than other stores. And the Kirkland brand EVOO is recommended by those who have exposed olive oil fraud as being a true olive oil as opposed to many other brands that are not actually extra virgin olive oil. We moved a couple years ago to an area where the nearest Costco is over an hour away. BOO!! I still buy their baby wipes though! I get them online and have them shipped to my house. No other brand will do… ha ha.
Also a few times a year, they carry Hanna Andersson pajamas at a really great price!
I get some of my staples at Costco (butter & milk everytime we go), my husband read somewhere that Costco actually takes a hit for those and the rotisserie chickens, they're priced so low. But then they make their profits when we somehow leave with a cart-full of goodies after we only came in for milk 😉
Our Costco had this caramel apple crisp popcorn that we just devoured last month. And my daughter loves the Go-Gurt Simples they carry–they're not absolutely healthy, but there's no artificial colors, flavors, or HFCS, so they're an okay treat. She went through a phase of loving those little chia&fruit puree pouches they carry. I could go on and on about Costco…so I'll just stop there!
Love this post!! But you are so right about wandering around looking for things only to find out your store doesn't carry them. 🙂
Just joined Costco this past weekend, so this is really helpful!
Oh man I love their kale salad! I wonder if it's the same one you don't like! But next time I'm totally looking for the chicken sausage!
Costco is the stuff of my nightmares. Too much time abroad has made me loathe the monstrosities of North America – small living, small ketchup bottle.
Luuuuurve Costco. We buy diapers (Kirkland), Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla Chips, and Aidells Pineapple Bacon Chicken Sausage (have you tried it?!!!! AH-MAZING!)
Yaaaaaas! I was one of the two people who requested this, haha. 🙂 And you are right; I think Costco is on the up and up because of the healthy food options. In comparison to BJ's and Sam's, they seem to have a more expansive offering…along with fun things like Hanna Anderson PJ's on occasion. I really enjoy your approach to healthy eating and as a mom of two boys, it seems like Costco is making more sense these days for a lot of our food shopping. Thanks so much for doing this. That's pretty rad you listen to your random little old readers and do a post like this. 🙂
I love that chicken sausage! So delicious!
We love our Costco!! They are selling more and more organic items. We buy the True Story organic sausages. They have a few different flavors of chicken sausages that are all yummy. My one year old loves the organic seaweed snacks (Costco brand). The Tortilla Land uncooked flour tortillas are my guilty pleasure…. So good! I heard they started carrying corn ones too, but our Costco doesn't have these.. yet?!
I've seen them at the grocery store but not Costco… would LOVE to see the corn version show up at Costco.
It took a lot for me to convince my husband to get a membership (we're just a little family of 3 for now), but 2 years later he's on board. Giant bags of grain-free dog food for $33?! Sold. So, dog food, honest co. shampoo/body wash, berries, shrimp, Beecher's cheese (best ever but may only be sold in the PNW- but worth a look to see if you have it!), vitamins, organic chicken and ground beef, organic applesauce. I love posts like this! I'm checking out the apple sausage next time I'm back.
I felt like I was eating weeds, in a good way. And I didn't look at that ingredient list because I hoped it was bad.
Grass-fed beef sausages, organic frozen blueberries, organic eggs, organic spinach and salad mix, organic dog food, organic pink lady apples, organic olive oil, organic peanut butter, wine, organic bread, kerrygold butter, organic sweet potatoes, babybel cheese, organic cooked beets, gum, organic brussel sprouts (only saw that once). do you notice a theme? 🙂 pretty big costco list considering i'm single and live alone. but the prices on organic products…worth it.
I have a COSTCO post in my drafts but was waiting to take pictures there before I post! In my cart EVERY TIME I go to Costco is FETA CHEESE. They have the BEST cheeses! (P.S. It's funnt that the salad you talk about is one of my favorites! We mix it with baby spinach though!)
I have a COSTCO post in my drafts but was waiting to take pictures there before I post! In my cart EVERY TIME I go to Costco is FETA CHEESE. They have the BEST cheeses! (P.S. It's funnt that the salad you talk about is one of my favorites! We mix it with baby spinach though!)
We buy most regularly the organic steel cut oats, imported Dutch gouda (!), Peet's coffee and organic chicken breast. There are also a few other items. I love Costco (and it's totally worth it, even for a family of two).