January 26, 2015

Favorite Whole30 Items from Costco


This is probably not ground breaking information, but I just thought I'd share in case others are looking for Whole30 compliant foods to buy at Costco. On my first Whole30 shopping trip it took me forever to scan through the ingredients on each product and figure out what was compliant. That store is huge, but if you know what you're looking for, it makes the chore a lot easier!
Just do your best to avoid the samples. I know they look tempting but just walk away...

1. Aidells chicken and apple sausage - we actually loved this sausage before we ever started Whole30. It's good, all natural, and pairs well with a lot of things. I use it with pasta (or zoodles right now) and pesto or tomato sauce, we grill them whole like kielbasa or hot dogs and eat with ketchup, and during our Whole30 I've been adding it to my breakfast frittatas. I'm sure it would be delicious in soup too!

2. Kerrygold butter - grass-fed butter for a pretty decent price. I use this to make ghee. Kirkland brand is also a good option and very reasonable compared to grocery stores.

3. Cooking oils - I actually buy both extra virgin and the pure olive oil, and it's the best price I can find anywhere. Extra virgin I use for homemade dressings because its smoke point is really low and it can burn easily when you cook with it (I learned about this here), and pure olive oil I use for cooking and roasting. (they also have a huge tub of organic virgin coconut oil for cheap that isn't pictured here.)

4. Canned goods - I love their canned organic vegetables. You have to buy them in sets of usually 8 or so, but they end up being less than a dollar per can. The ingredients are solely the vegetable, and they're organic. It's a win all around.

5. Produce! I used to never buy produce at Costco because I thought I would never be able to use it up before it went bad. But since doing the Whole30, I have tried buying some things and I've found that we're eating so much produce now that we're actually using it up. And the prices can't be beat. I like getting the pre-cut green beans, broccoli, or butternut squash - such a time saver. Some other favorites are big bags of lemons, clementines, avocados (so cheap!), or potatoes.

6. Paesana Tomato & Basil sauce - a store bought sauce with no preservatives or sugar! And it's delicious. Will certainly continue to buy this post-Whole30.

7. Good Foods guacamole or Wholly Guacamole packs - fresh guac that you don't have to make yourself. The Good Foods one has a little kick. I use it on burgers, or have it with sliced peppers for a snack.

8. Himalayan crystal salt & whole peppercorn - I think each of these were like $6-8, and they are bigger than they look! I use these to fill up my salt & pepper mills. Makes such a difference to have it freshly ground.

9. Organic no-salt seasoning - this seasoning is awesome! I think it was maybe $5-6, and it will take me a long time to get through it. I toss veggies with olive oil, salt, and this seasoning and then roast them. So good. (the link says it's a 4-pack - you only have to buy 1 at the actual store.)

10. Kirkland Colombian Supremo whole bean coffee - this is hands down my favorite coffee ever. It's rich and full-bodied and tastes so much better than Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. We don't have a coffee grinder, we just use a regular old blender to grind up the beans and it works great!

Not pictured but also cheap and Whole30 approved: frozen turkey burgers, whole chickens & other fresh meats, frozen fish, Wild Planet or Kirkland brand canned tuna, nuts.


This list is by no means exhaustive. I am sure there are plenty of other items that I'm missing! One thing I have been surprised about the Whole30 is how many things you actually can eat on this diet. Focusing on that has made the whole experience way better, rather than focusing on the "not allowed" list. Sometimes all it takes is just trying something new and googling a recipe on how to cook it or what to eat it with. I'd love to hear if you have any other Costco favorites!*

*This is not a sponsored post. Costco has no idea who I am or that I'm writing about their products.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for the helpful info!! Always like finding natural and healthier foods, especially at Costco!

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  2. This was great to have while walking through Costco. Thanks for posting this, Laura! We did the Whole30 back in January as well and are doing it again through June into early July. For your meatloaf, did you sub the oats with anything or just not add any grains at all? Did you sub anything for the grated parm? For the Shepard's pie, can you post your homemade ghee using kerrygold butter, or email that to me? For the potato soup, did you omit the cheese altogether and sub coconut milk for the cream? I love seeing what others have done for Whole30, thanks again for sharing!

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    1. Hey Aicel! For the meatloaf I did almond flour instead of oats, and just omitted the parm entirely and it was still great! The ghee I literally googled how to do it - basically just simmer very low until the milk solids sink to the bottom and you can pour the oily part into a jar without getting the milk solids in there. You could try a fine mesh strainer to help strain it. The potato soup I omitted the cheese but it was still really flavorful! And yes, coconut milk instead of cream. Good for you for doing another Whole30! It was a big feat for me, and I sort of went crazy on the bread and cheese after it was all over haha, but now I'm just trying to focus on general whole food eating, which for me includes grains/dairy/beans. Good luck!

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