I like to think of myself as an urban, hip “I walk everywhere and shop local” type person.
Unfortunately, that self image is mostly false (or at least best before 2010) because the truth is that I have a family of four and sometimes you need a lot of toilet paper.
So I find myself at Costco.
With a shopping cart the size of my car and the theme to Buy N Large from Wall-E stuck in my head:
But here’s why it’s worth it:
We all know that healthy eating is not always the most affordable option. Costco has fantastic prices on products that I use to stock my pantry. Here are some shopping ideas for you.
(These are categorized by concept). Click here for your printable list!
Funky flours
This is a great place to stock up on alternative flours, if you are trying to reduce your wheat consumption or refined carbohydrates. Look for almond flour, coconut flour, quinoa flour.
Whole Grains and legumes
The only thing healthier than legumes is sprouted organic legumes. This is total score:
I’ll also grab one of these sprouted rice and quinoa mixes.My kids like rice more than quinoa so this is a good compromise and ups the protein delivery in being sprouted:
You’ll find the Bob’s Red Mill products at great prices here.
Oats (steel cut and regular) are a must for me for breakfasts and baked goods (pulse in a blender for a few secs to make oat flour and use instead of wheat flour if you want gluten free baked goods)
Nut Butters
This Kirkland almond butter is pretty much my boyfriend:
and it’s so much cheaper to get it at Costco than my local. A tablespoon of this on an apple is my go-to snack. You can also get peanut butter, tahini, cashew butter and coconut butter there are great prices.
Beverages
Costco is an awesome place to stock up on almond milk (which is my favourite dairy alternative). This one is sugar free:
I also stock up on kefir. Kefir is a fermented dairy drink (tastes like thin yogurt) and one of the most powerful probiotic sources you can get.
I use it as a smoothie base and also buy a flavoured version to give the kids as an after school snack (for me the sugar is worth getting all that good stuff into them).
I’m really into this right now as my youngest is on a long course of antibiotics so I’m trying to replenish his gut with the good bacteria that will keep him healthy!
Cooking Oils
Have you heard the news that your olive oil is probably fake?
In Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, Tom Mueller exposes a ton of shady stuff about the olive oil industry and how most olive oil is cut with cheaper oils. In recent testing of major US brands, almost 70% were found to be primarily other oils.
However, the Costco organic brand passed the test with flying colours.
A lot of people tend to use olive oil as the default for everything but you want to diversify all your foods for the broadest spectrum of nutrients.
Avocado oil is a great alternative to olive oil – especially for cooking due to it’s high smoke point.
And I’m sure I don’t have to tell you about coconut oil as half of the internet is already dedicated to coconut oil worship.
You can score a vat of it at Costco so you can use it for everything from shaving your legs to muffins and be right on trend:
Natural sweeteners:
If you are trying to avoid processed sugar, that’s awesome. But let’s not kid yourself that you are going to want some sweetness in your life.
My favourite sweetener is maple syrup. (By the way – if you guys think I’m all healthier-than-thou, check out my sister, who spent last weekend making her own maple syrup. Like – from TREES:)
If you are too lazy to spend your weekends boiling down maple sap to get 1 cup of syrup for 40 cups of sap, then get your disgraceful self to Costco and buy this:
You can also get a great deal on honey and dates ( you can add softened date mush to baked goods instead of sugar) as well as unsweetened apple sauce for school lunches or for sugar free baking recipes.
Nuts
Yes you can also get all this stuff at the bulk barn but if you are into one stop shopping (as I am), these are fantastic deals and great to stock the pantry:
I always have a stock of raw nuts in my pantry. I add to salads, smoothies, sauteed vegetables for healthy fats and extra deliciousness. Almonds, pecans and walnuts go in almost everything.
Seeds
Seeds are a total bargain at Costco!
I use pumpkin seeds to give a nice crunch to salads (great source of zinc, which helps level the hormones).
I add chia to my smoothies every morning, which adds tons of nutrients and fiber, keeping me full until lunch.
I add hemp hearts to salads, soups, smoothies, sauteed vegetables and yogurt for an extra protein kick.
Flax seed is an amazing source of omega 3 fatty acids (especially for my vegetarian family, that doesn’t get it from fish).
Freezer Stuff
Frozen fruit
My favourite are the wild blueberries. Blueberries are a superfood – full of antioxidants.
And – very importantly – they cover the green colour so I can sneak kale into my kids’ smoothies.
Frozen vegetables
One of my meal planning rules is to start with the vegetables. It took me a while to shift my thinking on this.
I used to start every meal with the meat (I’m having chicken. How should I make it and what should I put on the side?).
Then when I went vegetarian, I started with the starch (do I want rice, pasta, tortillas..?)
Now I start with the vegetables. I will first do inventory of what is about to go bad in my fridge and then think about what is in season and what my kids might eat and then build the meal out from there.
When the goal is to first always fill half my plate with vegetables, it’s good to have extras on hand. And especially during the winter months in Canada – the frozen vegetables (frozen at peak ripeness) are a healthier and cheaper option.
Edamame
I love a bowl of salted edamame left on the kitchen table for high protein after school snacking. And the kids love popping the peas out of the pods.
Bread
We only stock sprouted bread at our house. The deal with sprouted bread is that it always uses the whole grain (so you get the endosperm, which is where all the nutrients are at).
Also – the sprouting process breaks down the proteins and carbohydrate in the bread making it lower on the glycemic index, higher in protein and more digestible for people who have trouble with grains. It doesn’t contain any preservatives so you have to look in the freezer section.
Healthier Snack Foods
See all those jumbo bags of candy close to the check out? You WALK PAST THEM and grab these instead:
Trail Mix:
Read the label for no sugar added and do your best to avoid the ones with chocolate.
Also remember that trail mix is awesome but calorically dense. Meant for people who are hiking trails, right? Not surfing the net. Just sayin’.
Watch the portion sizes here or help yourself out by buying individual servings (or give the environment a break and bulk buy and make your own custom mix and put in individual bags for later.)
Roasted Seaweed
Now, some of my clients will balk when I suggest they replace chips with seaweed (um…understandably) but these really are delicious. They satisfy the need for something greasy and salty, they are no-carb, low calorie and full of healthy minerals.
Crackers
These are some of the cleanest crackers on the market – with no hydrogenated oils or trans fats. Plus they are packed with seeds for healthy fats.
Emergency energy bars
Lara bars are just fruit and nuts and seeds so they are super ‘clean’.
Keep in mind, though, that they are primarily simple carbohydrate with a bit of healthy fat. They would also be a good pre-workout snack if you need something between work and the gym to keep you going. As a general snack, fresh cut veggies or whole fruit is better but it’s not a bad idea to keep a stash of these (in your bag, in your car) for those times when it’s a choice between this or a doughnut.
Fresh Stuff
Animal Protein
I can’t personally vouch for any of it, but I’m told that Costco is a great place to buy grassfed beef and organic or wild caught fish, which would be your best options for animal protein.
Produce
We don’t buy a lot of produce at Costco because we generally won’t get through it before it goes bad.
However, these are the few items we’ll tear through no problem:
Bananas
These are on the Clean 15 list so usually it’s not worth it to buy them organic. Costco is a bargain so why not?
I don’t worry about over-buying because the black bananas will freeze and be delicious in smoothies or banana ice cream (frozen banana – puree it with a hand blender until it gets really creamy. It’s a life-changer for those nights when you want a little treat after dinner. Go on an add a chocolate chip or two if it’s your birthday.)
Spinach
I throw handfuls of spinach into everything and if it starts to look a little wilted, I’ll just sautee it and use it in fritattas, etc.
Eggs
I’m someone who cares about where my food comes from but I have to admit I always pause in front of the egg section of the grocery store because organic, free-range eggs are TWICE the price of the other ones. And we plow through eggs in my family. Costco actually just released an article on its organic eggs, which I think are fab:
Lemons
Part of my 28 Day Transformation Challenge is to pick up the habit of starting every morning with the ‘Morning Mojo’ – Half a lemon squeezed into a big glass of water with either ginger or cayenne pepper. It’s awesome for digestive health, immunity and kick up your metabolism first thing in the day.
Essential Costco Shopping Tips!
Never shop hungry:
Just because you HAVE a lot of it, doesn’t mean you need to eat it all now:
And for the love of your bank account, shop with a plan:
Again – Click here for your printable shopping list
Aaaand you might as well buy toilet paper while you are there. There’s a lot of fiber on this list. 🙂
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If you liked this post, let me know what is going on your Costco shopping list and share the post with friends!
This is fantastic! I always leave with a kayak! Thank you for this 🙂
You’re welcome, Tricia! Glad to help you avoid any unnecessary kayaks. 🙂
Oonagh, I am usually SO against shopping at Costco (Kayaks! Every. Single. Time.) Only you could make me change my tune! This is pretty great. And funny, as usual. Xo
I’m so glad you liked it, Adrienne! 🙂
[…] to absorb some of the good, anti-inflamatory fats you would find in good quality olive oil (see my Costco post for more on olive oil […]
[…] Sprouted tortillas or pita pockets (for what the deal is with sprouted breads, check out my Costco shopping list post) […]
You are so freaking hilarious and intelligent! I really adore reading your blogs and found this one in particular extremely helpful. I will definitely be printing this out! Thanks Oonagh!
Aw, thanks, Maggie!! I’m so glad you found this helpful! 🙂
[…] Ezekiel Bread (why Ezekial? Check out my Healthy Costco Shopping List) […]
Thank you for the tips and the list. P.s. I also freeze spinach to put in my smoothies if I don’t think I will go through the package in time.
Great list. Thank you!! Informative, helpful and funny. And how cute are you and your sister? Ha! I’m not sure we get the same products here in Canada but I will check at my Costco for several of these items next time.
Thanks, Elizabeth! So glad you liked the post 🙂 And I’m in Canada – so most of this stuff should be available for you, my friend!
As with all your Shopping Lists, I really appreciate having concrete items that I know are ‘Oonagh-approved.’ No kayaks for me, thanks, but the Bose blue-tooth speaker was a real bargain!
Another non-food item that’s saved me a ton of $ is the Webber Naturals triple-strength Omega 3 capsules. My system is so deficient in essential fatty acids that these are a real life-saver, and the mega-size (180 softgels) is a huge bargain over the corner drugstores.
Ha! I have that speaker as well! And thanks for the Omega 3s tip, Bob! 🙂
We are on our way to Costco Saturday, so this will come in handy!
Thank you Oonagh for these recommendations of what to shop for at Costco.
Could you please send me the printable Costco shopping list?
When I clicked on the link it said, “Darn it! The page you’re looking for isn’t here. You could try one of the links above, get help from Support, or search the Leadpages Blog.”
Oh no! Sorry about that, Diane! Will send asap. 🙂
Thanks for the recommendations. I get some of the listed items already, but didn’t know there was so much more I could get there. All Costcos seem to carry different stuff but I would like to check my local store again to see what I find. Can I find the shopping list somewhere else? The link seems to have been removed or something.
Huh, every time I have gone into Costco I get WAY overwhelmed and kind of dizzy and can’t figure out what to buy, and leave spending lots of money and having nothing I really wanted. But I always but the Salmon (lox) because it is Norwegian and amazing. I asked for it for Christmas from my father-in-law. This list is super helpful, and will help me to get on track for my “transformation” Love the post, thanks.