Clean Eating Costco List

Sorry to use an already overused internet meme, but it's true!

NO ONE wants to spend a ton of money on food, just like NO ONE wants to spend hours cooking every night.

Warehouse stores like Costco are great for saving money on clean eating alternatives. Sure, there are plenty of processed options lurking in the aisles, so I've put together a list of the healthy products I buy there. These are just the reliable basics for me, but there are a ton of other great buys depending on your food preferences. 

Produce

Red, yellow, orange peppers

Baby spinach, 2 lb container

French Green Beans, 2 lb bag

Frozen berries and fruit

Poultry and Meat

Fresh chicken breasts

Frozen wild caught salmon and tilapia filets

Ground bison (super lean, great replacement for ground beef)

Etc.

Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, 6 pack 

Salsa, 2 32oz containers

Olive Oil, Kirkland brand

Balsamic Vinegar

Spices (I love the Italian blend.)

Raw Nuts (especially almonds for snacking and homemade almond butter)

Hummus

Cottage Cheese

You'll notice there aren't a ton of fruits and vegetables I buy at Costco. I'm lucky enough to live in an area with a ton of farmer's markets, so cheap produce is easy to come by. Also, some things just take more work than I'm willing to put in. For example - I could buy 2 lbs of tomatoes, but if I didn't want them to go bad I'd have to make jars of sauce and freeze them. Once in a while I'll do that, but not on the regular. 

I've learned my lesson on a couple items, too. The big bags of cauliflower? Too much for us. Same goes for the brussels sprouts, unless I'm having people over. 

How do you know what you're saving money on? My tip is to do a price comparison of items you buy frequently and figure out the price per unit. For example, a 3 pack of bell peppers at my grocery store is $5.99, or $1.99 per unit. At Costco, I buy 6 for $5.99, or .99 centers per unit. Once I determine the price per unit is less, and whether I can consume the amount I'm purchasing, I go for it. 

What do I do with 2 pounds of spinach and 6 bell peppers? Check out my post on meal prepping for ideas!