our costco shopping list.

One of the perks of our former ‘burb life was living near Costco (and pretty much next door to Valley Natural Foods). Buying in bulk makes sense given how much we eat (honestly, I don’t remember what a normal portion size is anymore!). And since we usually have everything on hand to throw together dinner, it more or less eliminates running to the store after work when grocery shopping is the last thing I wanna do. 

But now that we’re in back in Minneapolis we have to be a little more strategic about grocery shopping. We make it to Costco once a month or so for a bigger shop. And in between – it’s quick trips to Target and Seward Community Co-op to restock on perishables like spinach and the things we can’t (or don’t) get at Costco. Like full-fat coconut milk from a can (for coconut rice and morning coffee), Hawaiian ginger, turmeric, Great Harvest bread (for Nick), sunbutter, dark chocolate, kombucha, cilantro, basil, smoked cheddar, Whole Grain Milling Co. tortilla chips, Numi jasmine and mint tea, and cashewmilk ice cream, to name a few.

With that, our Costco staples. We don’t buy all this food every single time we’re there – we don’t eat 10 pounds of rice that fast! But we do buy probably a combo of at least 10 items from this list – and it’s been enough to justify recently upgrading to an executive membership.

Now maybe we should start meal planning… anyone have any tips?! And what’s on your Costco list? Anything you’d recommend? 

Part of the haul from a recent Costco trip.

PROTEIN

­­– organic chicken
– organic ground bison (or beef)
– organic ground dark turkey
– wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon (frozen)
– Wild Planet tuna 

VEGGIES

– organic spinach – one-pound container
– 6-count bag avocados
– 10-pound bag sweet potatoes
– organic Brussels sprouts
– organic broccoli
– pre-cut organic butternut squash
– organic asparagus
– Safies pickled beets (the BEST)

FRUIT

– berries – raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries
– 5-pound bag organic frozen mango
– 4-pound bag organic frozen pineapple
– organic bananas 

DRINK

– coffee (they sometimes have a Kona blend!)
– Silk unsweetened almond milk
– case of San Pellegrino 
– Vega vanilla protein powder
– one case Mexican Coke (lasts an entire year)

PANTRY

– 10-pound bag basmati rice
– quinoa
– Ezekiel sprouted grain bread
– Nature’s Path almond granola
– Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips
– Late July tortilla chips
– Kettle potato chips (usually just during peak training months)
– Mary’s Gone Crackers original crackers
– Kodiak Cakes pancake + waffle mix
– Kirkland 2.5-pound container mixed nuts
– Kirkland organic peanut butter
– Kirkland brand basil pesto
– Maya Kaimal curry + vindaloo sauce
– Holy Land roasted red pepper hummus
– fresh mozzarella
– chia seeds

SPICES / SEASONINGS

– Kirkland taco seasoning
– Kirkland pink Himalayan salt
– Kirkland organic virgin coconut oil

Note: We’re in Minnesota, so your Costco may not carry some of these items.