Costco is a warehouse wonderland where you can get a rotisserie chicken for under five dollars and also a surfboard, jacuzzi, and enough toilet paper to hopefully last the rest of this pandemic. It’s also a great place for bulk buying healthy food items for those putting nutrition at the forefront of their resolutions this year. Whether it’s more nutritious bread, fruit packs for smoothies, or four-packs of tofu, here are all the items you should consider stocking your pantry, fridge, and freezer with.
If your avocado is always going bad before you turn it into guacamole, just buy the premade stuff from Wholly Guacamole. It’s vegan, made with easily identifiable ingredients, and a good way to add healthy fats to your meal. I like adding the guacamole to toast in the morning or eating it with veggies and crackers as a snack. Occasionally, I’ll sprinkle it with extra red pepper flakes, garlic powder, or a squeeze of lime to coax out even more flavor. The minis are perfectly pre-portioned for individual snacking, so grab those if all the guacamole is just for you.
Making bread that is both healthy and delicious is hard work. It’s nearly impossible to replicate the delicate butteriness of brioche or the fluffy interior of a French loaf. Admittedly, Dave’s Killer Bread is not these things. It is, however, high in protein and whole grains and makes for an amazing sandwich bread. Add turkey, mustard, and plenty of leafy greens for a fulfilling lunch. Dave knows what he’s doing.
I always keep a pack of firm tofu in my fridge. It’s a healthy vegetarian-friendly protein option that stays fresh for a while, is extremely versatile in recipes, and is so easy to prepare. Whether you’re braising it in a spicy Korean soy sauce mixture, adding to a stir fry, or air frying for maximum crispiness, tofu can do it all. You should definitely keep it as a mainstay in your fridge, too.
You can use these frozen fruit cubes for smoothies and fruity breakfast bowls topped with granola, sure. Or, you can be like me, and eat the cubes as is—sprinkled with a little bit of Tajín and chamoy. This is my favorite healthy-ish frozen dessert because it satisfies my craving for sorbet or ice cream while still being primarily fruit, full of fiber and vitamins. The passion fruit cubes are my go-to but the dragon fruit is equally as delicious. Costco seems to constantly rotate out which Pitaya Food items are available—which includes products like frozen cubed aloe vera, acai berry, and jackfruit.
This is for all the keto dieters out there. Whenever a craving for salty and crunchy potato chips hit, reach for Whisps instead. They’re made of 100% cheese, have a satisfying shatter upon each bite, and are low-carb and high in protein. You can have them as a snack or add them to salads and soups. They come in different varieties of cheeses like parmesan, cheddar, and a blend of asiago with pepper jack.
For the days I am too lazy to make an actual breakfast, I’ll have a cup of Chobani. The Greek-style yogurt is higher in protein than traditional yogurt, boasting a whopping 12 grams of protein in a single serving. The flavors that come in Costco’s pack are Monterey Strawberry, Madagascar Vanilla and Cinnamon, Willamette Raspberry, and Wild Blueberry. Honestly, I can’t decide my favorite—they’re all really satisfying. Just be weary of the sugar; although less than the original, there’s still nine grams of sugar in a cup so limit it to one yogurt a day.
I’m not one of those people who very actively drinks protein shakes or adds a bunch of supplements to my diet. That being said, if I were to be one of those people, I would buy Premier Protein. Each carton is only 160 calories, with 30 grams of protein and only one gram of sugar. This is kind of hard to believe because they actually taste like runnier milk shakes. The caramel one is delicious, and I’ve used both vanilla and chocolate as a base for banana and peanut butter smoothies. The coffee flavor has an added bonus of including actual caffeine, so you can make it your new and filling morning ritual if you wanted to.
My new year’s resolution is to drink more water. Liquid IV is helping me. The brand has allegedly discovered the perfect combination of ingredients to help your body absorb water faster. Look, I was an English major in college and will not pretend that I understand the science mumbo-jumbo. What I do understand is the lemon-lime flavor tastes pleasantly like a Sprite and there’s plenty of vitamins and electrolytes in each sleeve. My main concern is the amount of sugar—11 grams per packet—but hopefully they dream up a formula with less sugar. I’ll still be adding this to my water bottle after pilates classes and when I’m hungover.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Costco’s iconic rotisserie chicken. This is the meal prepper’s dream item. Use the chicken in salads, soups, lunch bowls, wraps—it’s the easiest and probably cheapest way to get a whole cooked chicken. And when you’re done peeling the meat from the bones, use the chicken carcass to make stock. It’s probably the best $4.99 you’ll ever spend.
