Survive your Whole30 with Costco!

Happy New Year Everyone!
With the start of the new year it seems like everyone is making resolutions to be healthier, which is awesome - who among us couldn't benefit from being healthier? Whether you are just finishing day 4 of your first ever Whole30, this is your 5th Whole30 or you're sitting there thinking "Whole what???" I've got some awesome tips for you on how Costco can help you survive your Whole30 adventure, and without breaking the bank.

If you're new to Whole30 the first thing you will want to do is pick up the Whole30 books (if you haven't already). The first book, It Starts With Food explains what the Whole30 is, why it works and provides science-based evidence about the program. I have not seen this book for sale at Costco for some time now but you can find it for a similar price on amazon.com.

The second Whole30 book The Whole30: The 30-day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom is currently available at Costco and for n staggering 43% off of the cover price. This book explains how to follow the Whole30 program, provides a guide of what to expect on your Whole30 journey and includes tons of easy & delicious recipes. 

For the specifics of the Whole30 program you'll have to purchase the books, but in a nutshell it follows a strict Paleo style diet which excludes sugar, grains, dairy, legumes and alcohol while encouraging you to eat as many whole foods and as few processed foods as possible. With a few caveats the program is full of healthy animal proteins, all the vegetables you can eat, good for you fats, and fresh fruit. 

Whole30 creators Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig make a really good case for why you should buy better quality food which includes organic produce, organic pasture-raised meats & poultry and wild caught fish and seafood. However they do acknowledge that can be expensive and even difficult if you don't live near a Whole Foods Market, so while they say organic/pastured/wild-caught is best for you, as long as you are following the rules of the Whole30 program conventional meats, poultry, seafood and produce will do just fine. (Fortunately Costco carries a multitude of organic foods!) 

Now enough with the introduction, let's move on to the best part - all of the amazing food you'll be eating during your Whole30 that you can purchase at Costco and save a bundle!

The Proteins

Your sources for protein while doing Whole30 come entirely from animal sources. For their detailed explanation why legumes and other vegetation protein source are excluded, you'll have to read through It Starts With Food. With that said, here are all the delicious Whole30 meats, poultry, eggs and seafood you can buy at Costco.

The Kirkland Signature Organic Ground Beef comes in a 3-pack of approximately 1.3 lb portions that makes freezing what you won't use immediately a cinch.

With only a few exceptions, (like Ray's the Steaks in Arlington), we almost exclusively buy & cook our own steaks at home. The filet mignon that Costco carries is always mouthwateringly tender and for about the same price you would pay to get a single steak in a good restaurant you get 4-5 steaks at Costco!
Costco also carries a selection of Organic, Grass-Fed Beef including steaks, roasts and ground beef but they are only available for purchase on Costco.com.

Costco even carries juicy lamb chops and lamb rib roast - both imported from Australia. 

We've started eating pork about once a week and love the pork chops you can get from Costco.

Ground turkey is great for making "tacos," stuffed peppers, turkey burgers and more.

Coleman's Organic Chicken from Costco is a staple in our household. In addition to the organic chicken breasts shown below Costco also carries Coleman organic chicken thighs and Coleman organic whole chickens.

The Kirkland Signature frozen chicken tenderloins and frozen chicken breasts are both excellent deals.

If this is your first Whole30, brace yourself - you're probably going to be eating a LOT more eggs than you usually do. Luckily thanks to Costco's awesome prices, 2 dozen organic cage-free eggs are totally affordable.
On the west coast I have seen pre-cooked hard boiled eggs at Costco which I am totally jealous of, but if you see them at your Costco be sure to check the label to make sure they are not cooked with any noncompliant ingredients!

Costco has a fantastic selection of wild-caught frozen fish including Mahi-Mahi, Sockeye Salmon, Flounder Fillets and Pacific Cod.

When it comes to frozen shrimp, Costco has tons of options. Choose from cooked or raw in several different sizes. (The numbers on the bags indicate approximately how many shrimp you get per pound. Higher numbers like 100-150 indicates tiny shrimp - perfect for salads - and smaller numbers like 11-15 indicate much larger shrimp.)



For a quick meal in a pinch you can grab a small shrimp cocktail tray in the deli section at Costco and forget all about defrosting & cooking. Just be sure to skip the included cocktail sauce which is not Whole30 compliant.



Kirkland Signature frozen raw sea scallops are another delicious seafood option.

I try not to eat too much tuna, but I love making tuna boats occasionally for lunch. The Kirkland Signature canned skipjack tuna & albacore tuna are both packed in water and Whole30 compliant.

The Kirkland Signature canned Wild Alaskan Salmon is perfect for making salmon cakes! Choose from Pink Salmon or Sockeye Salmon- both varieties are boneless & skinless and refer to the The Whole30 30-Day Guide book for the salmon cake recipe.

If you love smoked salmon then try the Kirkland Signature Norwegian Smoked Salmon. Not only is it Whole30 compliant, it's Kosher to boot!



Minimally processed Whole30 compliant foods do exist and can be found at Costco! Two great examples from Costco are the Cuisine Solutions Seasoned Sliced Beef and Kirkland Signature Grilled Chicken Strips. Both are precooked and ready to toss into a salad or heat up in a flash for a hearty meal when you're short on time & energy.

From what I have seen on Instagram, Aidells Chicken Apple Sausages are adored within diehard Whole30 circles. Though processed, all ingredients are Whole30 compliant and these sausages go with pretty much anything. For a pork-free version try the Casual Gourmet Roasted Red Pepper & Spinach Chicken Sausages.

The Vegetables

Butternut squash is so tasty but such a pain to peel, remove seeds and chop that I nearly jumped for joy when I found this organic chopped butternut squash at Costco. Pick some up today and try roasting it!

I wish I could find organic bell peppers at Costco but at these prices I still buy conventional bell peppers quite frequently.
Aside from not being organic, my only other compliant is where are the green bell peppers!? I never see green bell peppers at any of my Costcos.

Costco carries several different varieties of tomatoes.  I love the sweet grape tomatoes in chopped salads and sliced Roma tomatoes are the perfect size for making individual frittatas in a standard 12-cup muffin pan.

Whether you prefer fresh broccoli or frozen broccoli, Costco has you covered.

Mushrooms are kind of like my new best friend - I try to add them to everything. I chop them raw and throw them in salads, dice them up small and sneak into meatloaf and frittatas or just sauté them in butter & olive oil. Thank goodness for Costcos bulk packaging or I would be going to the store every few days for mushrooms.

Green, leafy vegetables are so good for you and I just love making spinach salads with the organic baby spinach. I buy the romaine hearts and use them as "taco shells" or wraps for tuna or chicken salad, the organic spring mix for other salads, and chopped kale in frittatas. (Although as you can see, or not see I guess, I forgot to take a picture of the bag of kale!)

Green beans sautéed with shallots & pecans are SO delicious.

I've decided that all vegetables are better if you roast them - even asparagus and brussels sprouts. 

I love chopped celery in chicken salad and chicken soup and nothing is more refreshing to me than ice cold cucumber water.

If your family really likes carrots the 10 lb bag may be right for you, otherwise stick with the slightly more reasonable 5 lb bag of organic mini carrots. 

Ten and eight pound bags of onions may be a little much even if your entire family is doing Whole30 so it might be a good idea to split these with a friend or your mother.

If you're not already a fan, sweet potatoes just might become your new best friend on Whole30. They literally go with everything and every meal. You can even cut them into thick disks to make "buns " for burgers and other sandwiches.
While not as good for you as sweet potatoes, regular white potatoes are totally Whole30 compliant (just don't make french fries).

Roasted garlic smells so good! Two pounds at this price is awesome but this is definitely an item that I split with my mom.

I prefer fresh vegetables but it's nice to have some canned goods on hand just in case. Costco has a good selection of Whole30 compliant canned vegetables like mushrooms, green beans and tomatoes and some are even organic!

I always have crushed tomatoes on hand so I can whip up spaghetti sauce on a whim.

Sundried tomatoes and roasted peppers are another great pantry item you can pick up at Costco.

The Fruits

All fresh fruits are Whole30 compliant but the program does caution you not to go nuts and replace your old sugary junk foods with sugary fruit. Yes the sugar in fresh fruit is naturally occurring, but to your body, sugar is sugar. When trying to "slay your sugar dragon" as Melissa Hartwig says, you may need to limit your fruit intake to a just a few servings per day and make sure to eat your fruit along with a full meal - don't just snack on fruit by itself.

Bananas may not be on the dirty dozen list but at these low Costco prices why wouldn't you buy organic?

Mango is so good! Costco sells fresh whole mangos too but I like to splurge and get the fresh cut mango to save on prep time.

Um where outside of Hawaii can you buy a pineapple for $3?? At Costco of course! We have one of those fancy shmancy pineapple slicing doodads so I prefer to buy the whole pineapple but if you want a lot of pineapple without a lot of hassle Costco also carries fresh pineapple slices too.

Brunch just isn't the same unless you have some cantaloupe!

Fall/Winter are my favorite seasons for apples because juicy Honeycrisp apples are plentiful!  Costco carries a fairly wide selection of apples including some not pictured here like Gala, Red Delicious and Fuji apples, and I'm seeing more and moe organic options.
I love chopping up apples to throw into a salad or including apple slices with my lunch.

Costco even carries washed & sliced organic apples that are easy to grab & go and they are perfect for adult and kid lunch boxes.

Fresh berries, cherries and grapes make wonderful additions to just about any salad - sometimes I even add sliced grapes to my chicken salad. Sometimes I can find organic berries at Costco, but more often than not all I can find are conventional.

Pears and pomegranate seeds are two more delicious fruits that make excellent additions to your favorite salads.

Where would we be without citrus? We'd all probably have scurvy lol! I love cooking with citrus from garnishing fish to make ceviche, and citrus is also one of the best fruits to infuse your water with. When they are in season I buy clementines by the bagful and always have a few stashed in my purse.

Kiwi is a preferred Whole30 fruit (and a personal favorite of mine) and Costco sells a 4 lb container of them at an amazing price, but I missed them on my last trip so alas there is no picture. But I assure you Costco carries kiwi!

While these frozen fruits are technically Whole30 compliant the program strongly urges you to avoid making smoothies because of 1) all the sugar and 2) drinking your food is not the same as chewing your food. But if you must indulge do so rarely, and be sure to throw in a few handfuls of spinach & kale and keep the portions small (aka NOT Jamba Juice sized).

 

The Good Fats

In the It Starts With Food book the authors explain all about why fat is crucial to a healthy diet and they go into detail on the differences between good fats and bad fats. Here are a handful of good fats that you can pick up at Costco.

Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is now the only butter we ever have in our house - it's just so darn good! If you're new to Whole30 you're probably thinking "Wait isn't butter dairy??" Yes butter does contain milk fats, BUT you can make regular butter Whole30 compliant by turning it into clarified butter. By melting butter slowly over low heat the milk fats separate and float to the top as foam which you can skim off with a spoon. To get the last of the milk fat out pour the melted butter through a sieve lined with cheesecloth (in a pinch I have used a paper towel or coffee filter) into a heatproof container (glass jar or ceramic mug). Take care when pouring to ensure you leave any solids at that have accumulated in bottom of the pan in the pan. The liquid you just strained into your jar is clarified butter- butter devoid of milk solids that has a higher smoke point than regular butter so it's perfect for sautéing - and of course it's Whole30 compliant! I let my jar sit until the clarified butter cools to room temperature and starts to solidify then I store it in the fridge. According to the internet clarified butter will stay good for 3-6 months.
One of the best things about Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter is that its made from grass fed cows! Check out the Whole30 books to find out all about the added nutritional benefits of eating butter & meat from grass fed cows.

(Ghee is another Whole30 compliant fat but I have yet to run across ghee at Costco, however you can make your own ghee too. Ghee is similar to but not that same as clarified butter - ghee is melted butter that's actually cooked long enough for the milk fat to caramelize before being skimmed off and filtered out which results in a slightly nutty flavor. You can store it similarly to clarified butter or you can just run out to Whole Foods and buy a jar of ghee.)

Coconut oil is practically magical!  Aside from the nutritional benefits of cooking with it, coconut oil is also an incredible moisturizer and can be used in making homemade soaps and bath scrubs or use it straight out of the jar as a fantastic moisturizer. I keep one jar  of the Kirkland Signature Organic Coconut Oil in the pantry and one in the linen closet in the bathroom. (Be careful if you use it in the tub or shower because it will make the bottom of your tub/shower extremely slippery!)

Avocados are another excellent source of "good for you" fat. Organic Wholly Guacamole Singles are a great way to get the benefits of avocados without having to wait for them to ripen. But if you prefer to make your own guacamole or want plain avocado slices or cubes Costco sells fresh avocados too.

Vegetable and nut oils are a huge No-No on Whole30 but olive oil reigns supreme! Avocado oil is another compliant oil that you can use to cook with or make dressings with and it can be used interchangeable when a recipe calls for olive oil - however avocado oil does does have its own taste.

To make your own mayonnaise you will need extra light olive oil and organic apple cider vinegar or fresh squeezed lemon juice. My mom got me hooked on making my own mayonnaise a few years ago and I haven't touched Hellmanns or Dukes since! Her recipe is slightly different than the one in the Whole30 books:

10 ounces extra light olive oil
2 tablespoons organic apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon of each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 egg

A lot of recipes will call for you to set the egg out to reach room temperature before making your mayonnaise but I have always use a cold egg straight from the fridge without any issues. The trick to getting the mayonnaise to emulsify properly is to slowly add the oil as you mix all the ingredients together. I pour a tiny bit of oil into the jar along with the other ingredients but reserve most of the oil to slowly drizzle in while the immersion blender is running on high. The rule of thumb is the slower you drizzle - the thicker your mayonnaise will be. This recipe easily doubles and will keep fresh until the expiration date of the egg you used. I store mine in a mason jar with a widemouth hinged lid.

I use Filippo Berio Extra Light Olive Oil and Organic Apple Cider to make my mayonnaise and Kirkland Signature Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Chosen Foods Avocado Oil to make dressings. 

And speaking of dressings, it has been a while since I have seen it at Costco but I have purchased Tessemae's All Natural Balsamic dressing/marinade/dip at Costco! Once at a Costco Roadshow and twice in Costco sized 26oz bottles. I'll have to start a petition to get Costco to bring back Tessemae's! Anyway moving on...

Some - but not all - nuts are Whole30 compliant. Nuts may be a good source of fat but because of their high caloric makeup they should not be used as your primary source of fat - instead use them sparingly as garnish or emergency snacks.
Costco has a fabulous selection of raw nuts and dry roasted nuts that are Whole30 compliant.
Sliced almonds add an additional crunch to chicken or tuna salad.
Dry roasted cashews, pistachios, macadamia nuts & almonds make great emergency snacks you that can keep in your purse/backpack/desk/briefcase/car - just portion them out into small plastic baggies or tiny containers first so you don't end up eating them by the handful!

Pine nuts can be expensive but if you're buying them at Costco you'll be able to afford to make all the homemade pesto you want!

You can also find Whole30 compliant almond butter at Costco!
The Kirkland Signature Almond Butter is made entirely of roasted almonds with nothing else and goes great with apple slices or celery sticks.

Other

In their Whole30 books Melissa & Dallas encourage you to make your own bone broths at home from the bones of organic & pastured poultry and beef. And if you make the time to do so you'll reap the benefits but I must admit this is an area where I am really lazy. For Whole30 compliant bone broths I have purchased from Bare Bones Broth and Bone Broths Co. Both brands are delicious, but they are E.X.P.E.N.S.I.V.E.
Needless to say I was elated when I realized the Kirkland Signature Chicken Stock already in my pantry is Whole30 compliant! Stock is not that same as bone broth but they are both interchangeable in recipes that call for stock or broth. Check out the Whole30 books for all the amazing benefits of bone broth!

Most vinegars are Whole30 compliant like this Kirkland Signature Balsamic Vinegar. Added sulfites are a No-No on Whole30 but naturally occurring sulfites are compliant. If sulfites have been added they will be listed on the ingredients list or somewhere on the label it will say "sulfites added." Naturally occurring sulfites will be listed separately as shown on the label below.

Water should already be your go to beverage of choice, but if its not, be prepared to become BFFs with water. If plain water just doesn't do it for you or you feel like you need something more than boring still water pick up some fancy sparkling water at Costco!
San Pellegrino in the glass bottles is my favorite sparkling mineral water but its not very practical or particularly safe to tote around large, glass bottles, so luckily Costco carries San Pellegrino in plastic bottles too.
When I am out and about I like to carry big water bottles like Smart Water 1 liter bottles.
I haven't tried it yet but I just saw that Smart Water is making 1 liter bottles of sparkling water and you can buy a 12 pack at Costco!

Hot sauces - as long as their ingredients are Whole30 compliant like Franks Red Hot Sauce and Tabasco, are an excellent way to add some heat to your food.

Fresh fruit is obviously preferred but the four items below: Kirkland Signature diced peach cups, Dole mandarin orange cups, Motts Organic applesauce and Kirkland Signature applesauce, are technically Whole30 compliant. I listed them down here in the "other" category because as prepackaged foods they can too easily be grabbed for snacking which can lead to overindulging.  I have the Kirkland Signature diced peach cups and Kirkland Signature applesauce pouches but I reserve them for emergency & travel snacks only.
The KS applesauce is my favorite because the pouch makes it so easy to eat on the go. Costco also has Kirkland Signature ORGANIC applesauce pouches but I haven't seen the Organic ones much on the East Coast - they seem to be much more prevalent on the West Coast.

Costco carries a few dried fruits that make the Whole30 compliant cut. But as you can see dried fruits are another technically compliant food that I have relegated to the "other" category, this time for three reasons: 1) the naturally occurring sugar in dried fruit is like catnip to your sugar dragon, 2) without the water from whole fresh fruit to make you feel full you'll generally eat a LOT more raisins to feel the same fullness which means you'll consume way more sugar and calories than you would have had you just eaten the grapes instead, and 3) because it's just too easy to mindlessly snack on. Save dried fruit to mix in with your nuts for emergency snacks only or use them very sparingly as garnish to salads and entrees. 

Tools

Don't freak out! You don't actually need any fancy tools or gizmos to get through your Whole30, but there are some things that can make your Whole30 adventure a little easier - and who doesn't want to make things easier for themselves?

This Cuisinart immersion blender is the exact same stick blender I use at home. I love it because by buying it at Costco I saved a whopping 62% off the retail price (yes 62% less than retail!) and the included measuring beaker makes making homemade mayonnaise a breeze. Don't try to be a hero and whisk mayonnaise by hand - get this immersion blender instead.



One of the points of Whole30 is to cook at home and eat with your family which sounds easy until you remember you work outside of the home, your kids go to school and you spend half your day in the car running errands and shuttling little people to and from school, appointments, practice and other extracurricular activities. The safest way to make it through your Whole30 is to make your own meals 100% of the time and take them with you when you need to. If you currently have more lids than containers or not enough containers for the whole family, save yourself some stress and splurge on a set of new containers to pack lunches and other meals for yourself and for the whole family.

Costco has several sets of both plastic and glass containers at awesome prices. The 19-piece Snapware Pyrex Glass set alone is 66% LESS at Costco than the retail price. I personally prefer glass containers but I understand they are not suitable for everyone - especially kids lunch boxes.




Purchasing a ton of fresh food at once can be daunting, especially if you're only cooking for one or for two, and you might think 'oh I shouldn't buy everything at Costco even though their prices are amazing,' but if you plan ahead you can make it work!

The FoodSaver vacuum sealing systems are great way to buy - for example - 6 lbs of pork chops now and safely freeze most of them for use later. The FoodSaver vacuum systems can also be used to save & freeze prepared foods for later. If you find yourself in a particularly adventurous cooking mood one weekend, don't just make spaghetti sauce for dinner that night, double the recipe and freeze half for another night, like one night when you get home late an need a good meal fast. 
Now through 31 January you can save an additional $20 off the Costco price of the FoodSaver FM2100 vacuum sealing system. That additional $20 off makes the Costco price 54% LESS than the retail price! You can also purchase refill heat seal rolls and pre-cut bags at Costco.

For more information on Whole30 check out whole30.com and pick up the latest Whole30 book The Whole30: The 30-day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom at Costco!

If you find other Whole30 compliant foods at Costco that I have missed add them in the comments section!

Until next time,

the Costco Connoisseur

#GoingToAllTheCostcos

P.S. - Selections and prices listed above will vary from different Costco locations.

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