I’m frequently tagged in Facebook mom group posts about people wanting to know if getting a Costco membership is worth it, and what to buy there. So here’s one of my periodic posts where I show you how I shop at Costco, particularly in summer. Today’s trip yielded me the following:
What’s in this picture:
- Sunscreen (we go through a lot)
- Popcorn (it was buy one get one free, so I’ll hand off the extra bag to a friend)
- Terra root vegetable chips (extremely good with mango salsa, FYI, but also with literally everything)
- Pretzel chips
- Ciabatta sandwich rolls (pre-sliced!)
- Bell peppers
- Cucumbers
- Nectarines
- Grapes
- Cherries
- Mushrooms
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hummus
- Fresh mozzarella
- Goat cheese
- Babybel cheese
- Chicken skewers (these are amazing)
- Cured meat selection (this one is chorizo, serrano ham, and salchichon)
- Roasted garlic and asiago chicken sausages
- Lamb chops
Not in the picture, but purchased today: a couple of beach chairs to finally replace the terrible ones I got fed up with using on last weekend’s beach trip.
Things I already have on hand from last week’s trip to Costco:
- Romaine lettuce (now that the farmers market is in season, I’ll buy most of my lettuce there, though)
- Eggs (I buy two 18-packs at a time, because my kids and husband like eggs a lot)
- Milk
- Polar flavored seltzer sampler (the spring edition has THE BEST flavors)
- Burrata
- Jarred pesto (keep it in the freezer!)
- Prosciutto (also freezes well)
Plus a lot of other things in the freezer – Eggo toaster waffles, taquitos, pork shoulder, various parts of chicken, steak, ravioli, etc. (It’s worth noting that I do have a separate freezer in the basement!)
This time of year, it’s all quick meals or things to grill or both. I try to get a lot of things I can pack into a cooler and take to the pool with us. I’ll turn the ciabatta rolls and fresh mozzarella into sandwiches with tomatoes from the produce stand and pesto from the freezer. I’ll use the chicken skewers to make a fast mediterranean meal, with rice or naan and cucumbers and tomatoes, among other things. The lamb chops will get grilled (unless we have YET ANOTHER tornado, in which case I’ll roast them according to the trusty Barefoot Contessa recipe). The sausages are another fast, kid-friendly meal, great for nights when my husband is out at a meeting or training for a triathlon. We’ll also do what my son likes to call “snacky dinner” a lot – it’s basically just having cheese and charcuterie for dinner. It’s both portable and delightful.
I’m always happy to answer questions about Costco, cooking, and how I shop for and feed a triathlete and a pair of growing twins. You can reach me by emailing jamaila @ jamailabrinkley.com, on Twitter at @jamaila, or on Facebook, where my author page is @authorjamailabrinkley.
(Because there will inevitably be some new people coming here to read this, before you ask: yes, my children do eat an astonishing variety of foods. Some of it is the luck of the draw, genetically, because they have no food or texture aversions. But we did introduce them to food by doing baby led weaning, which I’ve written about some on this blog and you can find lots of information about elsewhere.)