Tuesday, April 23, 2013

tuesday ten: costco favorites

the other day i was strolling through costco, and i saw a lady holding a big $25 jar of coconut oil studying the labels. it was obvious that she was reading about it and deciding if she should get it, and being a BIG fan of coconut oil {see here}... i wanted to yell YES! GET IT! i resisted the urge to be creepy and tell her what to buy, but 10 minutes later when i circled back around and saw her still studying it, i knew she was in need of my costo obsessed guidance and i couldn't resist the urge to make her life happier by introducing her to the favorite item in my kitchen! :) it was a good choice. she was so excited, and asked if you could really substitute it for butter/oil in cookies and all different foods. i told her yes, and as i listed some of my favorite uses for it, a few other ladies gathered around and started grabbing coconut oil too! it was hilarious. i hope all of them are putting it to good use! this made me decide to make a little list of my very favorite costco items.. there are so many more than this, but here are a few to start out. *note: some items may not be available in certain costco locations-- these are all from costco in the bay area!*

costco favorites
1. nature's path granola is always at costco, but this new flavor is my obsession.
pair it with almond milk/ yogurt/ coconut milk/ regular milk and enjoy! 

2. best things in the world. the factory for these ice cream cookie sandwiches 
is right by us in SF, so they might only be at these locations... but if you live in CA,
hunt these down! they are heavenly and you can get a big box at costco. picture this:
two oatmeal cookies with amazing ice cream in between, covered in the yummiest chocolate. 

3. best. snack. ever. i don't love regular trail mix, but i love this.
it has all the good stuff! nothing to pick around like in regular trail mix.
4. multigrain bread. i love both of these brands: kirkland and milton's. you can't go wrong! there are two loaves in the kirkland package, so since it's just two of us i buy them, use one, and freeze the other.

5. couldn't live without costco's spinach and kale. they have HUGE BAGS of them in the produce room, and they are so inexpensive! i get them and use them for salads/ green smoothies/ veggie dishes, then once they are about to lose freshness i freeze the rest for green smoothies! perfect system.

6. this stuff is the best! it lasts for a while, and i put it in everything- pastas,
spread on sandwiches, pizza, and more! it is great on it's own, or in a pesto cream sauce.
a good pasta pairing= the costco ravioli! love all the kinds..they have cheese & spinach stuffed, mushroom stuffed, butternut squash ravioli, 
and lots more depending on time of year!

7. cheese! i always have both of these stocked in my fridge: crumbled feta, and amazing shredded parmesan. they both last for months, and i use the feta in every salad, some pastas, quiches etc. i use {lots of} the parm on all my pasta dishes! love them both.

7. i love costco salmon. you can usually get a good deal on the fresh salmon
which i love the most, but they also have frozen fillets if you want more!

8. do i love costco apples because of the case they come in? maybe...
haha i love getting these in bulk, and the gala apples are always so crisp.
little tip, the bag of pears is less than apples, so i switch them out sometimes!
  
9. these late july sea salt chips are my addiction. they are amazing even on their own,
but pairing them with costco's mango peach salsa doesn't hurt either :)

10. last but not least, get this. it seems expensive, but lasts forever and you can use it in so much! see recipes which use it here and here, and swap it out as a healthy alternative! it can even be used as lotion or in your hait. it is amazing, like you can tell 
from the beginning of this post.

what are your costco faves?
xo

20 comments:

  1. Great post! I am so interested in all this and it's great to have a little push! Coconut oil is now on the list! THANKS, you are a gem.

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    1. glad it helps! you will love the coconut oil!!!!

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  2. i'm in love with costco and SO glad that we have one just an hour away! (so worth the trip!) i recently got some coconut oil and am loving constantly learning new ways to use it!

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    1. ahh an hour? at least you have one! i love all the uses for coconut oil too, always experimenting!

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  3. Excellent post!! I love hearing what other peeps like from those stores. You have to have a rec when you are buying in bulk! We often buy their asparagus! It is usually a good deal!

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    1. yes- their asparagus is so fresh and such a good deal! thanks for reminding me about that! xo

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  4. Ok those chips are AMAZING! I used to get them when I lived back in Portland. Unfortunately I haven't found them here yet. Or the mango salsa! :(

    I'm glad I share a costco addiction with someone! :)

    Amanda | Living in Another Language

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    1. ahh i'm glad you know of those chips too! i'm obsessed. we definitely share the costco addiction! hope you're surviving without mango salsa! :)

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    2. I live in the Portland area and I've never seen those chips but the mango salsa is definitely around. Hopefully you were able to find it!

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  5. I love the rotisserie chicken! It's so good. :)

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  6. Love this post! I'm going to print this out and bring it to Costco with me! And yes now that I've had an Its-It I can say they are amazing!

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  7. What a great list! I love Costco fresh salmon, too! When my dad isn't catching it fresh for me, I love running to pick these up and cook them up for a nice salmon caesar salad. Delicious!

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    1. fresh salmon- can't beat that! but glad you like costco's too! salmon caesar salad- yum! XO

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  8. I LOVE Costco! The Pesto is so good! I also just bought Coconut Oil - life changing haha.

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    1. haha LITERALLY i think coconut oil is life changing..so glad you agree!

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  9. I am so jealous...wish we had a Costco. All of this looks so fresh and amazing.

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  10. Hahaha that is so funny. Sometimes I wish someone would do that to me just so I could get a second opinion without having to go home and do more research!

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  11. Costco is amazing for real! I buy those big bags of spinach for green smoothies, and they are such a fantastic deal!

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  12. Thanks for the tips...we Costco addicts have to stick together! Funny story: we and two other couples were riding together on our way to an event. I was in the front with the driver and we were sharing our recent Costco "discoveries" and why we love Costco. The third husband had never been to Costco, and wondered out loud why two men would be raving about a shopping experience. We then regaled him with more examples, after which he accused us of "drinking too much of the Kool-Aid". A couple of weeks later I spotted them in Costco checking things out. I now see them in there all the time, which tweaks my funny bone! Ain't Costco great! By the way...what is hait?

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  13. Oh goodness I love Costco SO much! Walking out of there always feels like Christmas! :) I love that granola. I haven't seen those ice-cream sandwiches before though, I'm on the search for them.

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