On Instagram last week, I posted a quick video of what Rob and I buy from Costco and the grocery store each week. A few of you mentioned that you wanted to know what we make with all that food, so I figured a glimpse into what we bought and what we eat in a typical week would interest more of you.
Let’s start with the haul. I’m going to break it down into sections and which store we get it from. Before we start, you should know that Rob and I are Costco fanatics. My family jokes that we should buy stock in it because we go weekly. It started as once a month, then it was every other week, and now it’s every weekend. It just makes so much more sense for the amount of fruits, vegetables, and meats we eat! Plus, the Kirkland brand is pretty good and they have some creative items.
We share an executive membership with my mom, but we single-handedly pay her back the membership fees through the year (plus a little extra) because of the 2% back on purchases deal.
Our regular grocery store is Kroger (King Soopers here). I have price checked other stores, and for feeding our family, Kroger has the best deals.
You should also know that Rob and I do not have any dietary restrictions apart from shellfish (Rob’s allergic). We eat dairy, gluten, meat, non-organic, etc. We try to keep our grocery bill as low as possible while still eating fresh, balanced meals.
Here’s the breakdown of what we buy:
Produce from Costco
- Cucumbers
- Tomatoes (cherry)
- Bell Peppers
- Spinach
- Celery
- Carrots
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
Produce from Kroger
- Mushrooms
- Two of either: Green Beans, Zucchini, Broccoli, Asparagus
- Onions
- Bananas
- Apples
- Avocados
- Lettuce
- Potatoes
Meat & Dairy from Costco
All the meat we buy from Costco, we freeze, so we only really buy it every 2-3 weeks.
- Chicken Breasts
- Ground Turkey
- MahiMahi
- Salmon
- Cheddar Cheese
- Feta
- Cottage Cheese
- Yogurt
Meat & Dairy from Kroger
- Milk
- Shredded Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Beef (very, very rarely)
- Eggs (also rare)
Snacks/Miscellaneous from Costco
- Tortilla Chips
- M&M’s – every few weeks
- Fruit Leather – every few weeks
- Chia Seeds – every 6-8 months
- Formula – The Kirkland brand is the same as Similac and about half the price!
- Alcohol – as needed
Snacks/Miscellaneous from Kroger
- Tortillas
- Rice – every few weeks
- Pasta – every few weeks
- Cold Cuts
- Crackers
- Chips – occasionally
What do we make with all these things? Our typical breakfast is either a smoothie or cereal for Rob and an egg sandwich for me. Lunches for Rob are cold cut tortillas and salads for me. Both of us bring carrots, an apple, and some M&M’s for snacks. Our rotation of dinners includes things like:
- Grilled Chicken/Salmon/Turkey Burgers with a green vegetable and rice or potatoes
- Turkey Taco Salad
- MahiMahi Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Salads
- Chicken and Vegetable Bake
- Meat Rice – ground turkey with rice, vegetables, and sauce
- Chips & Salsa (for nights when we are super busy or feeling lazy)
- Lightened Up Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Pasta with either meat, or vegetable, sauce, or both
- Brinner – Breakfast for dinner!
- Kitchen Sink Quiche
- Chicken Roll Ups with spinach and feta
- Pizza – We buy frozen pizza and sometimes add peppers and feta to it
I know many people try to avoid produce because they are worried about how quickly it goes bad. I am really diligent about meal planning, so I know close to exactly what and how much of everything we need. Of course we have to toss things sometimes, but it’s not too often.
Do you need help meal planning? Download this FREE meal planning guide that teaches you how to meal plan! This guide includes an example of my own meals and shopping list for the week, a few tips on how to make nutritious meals more affordable, and a meal planning and shopping list template you can start using right away!
RQ: What are some of your favorite week night dinners? What food stores do you shop at on a regular basis?
I’m Brooke Selb, a Personal Trainer and Health Coach specializing in helping busy moms and moms to be to easily juggle mom life with family friendly recipes, and easy exercise routines to help you achieve your fitness goals that fit in with your already busy life with sound nutritional advice.
I’m such a weirdo but I love seeing people’s grocery hauls! 😀 This looks a lot like my own grocery list – lots of produce and fresh ingredients. Thanks for the peek inside your grocery bag! 🙂
Same here!
I’m always to curious about other people’s grocery lists. Glad I’m not hte only one who enjoys m&ms once in awhile!
Same! The peanut butter m&m’s are my favorite. My husband is more of a traditionalist.
I need to do better about meal planning. I swear I’m at the grocery store every other day! Thanks for the inspo to do better!
How do you have time for that?
All that fresh produce sounds so yummy! We get to shop at the open market near our home once a week, so thankfully we always have access to fresh fruits and veggies! We also only buy meat every month or two–I cut and prepare and freeze chicken ahead of time to make life easier!
I LOVE open markets. Everything just looks, smells, and tastes so wonderfully fresh.
We used to have a Costco membership but don’t anymore and I wish we still did, I think it would be a much more cost effective way to shop!
I just meal prepped my lunches for this week for the first time and I am loving it! I had never meal prepped before but it certainly makes me feel motivated to eat healthier!
Well done! Meal prepping makes it so easy to have everything done and ready to go, especially those times when you don’t want to cook or prepare anything.
I am a huge fan of Costco too. However, when I don’t feel like taking a big trip Aldi’s is becoming another favorite place of mine! Small and really great prices.
I’ve never been shopping at an Aldi’s actually. Glad to hear that it works for you.
It all looks so good. I love seeing what people buy at the store and what’s in peoples fridges. Is that weird? I could do some damage in Sams club LOL Looks like a great grocery haul for the week!
That’s not weird at all! I really enjoy it too, for some odd reason.
Love the grocery list sharing!! Gives great meal ideas 🙂
Glad to hear it!
I have never been to a Costco, but have been wanting to check it out. I always hear great things about Costco. Thanks for the meal ideas!
You’re welcome. You should definitely check it out when you get a chance. And then convince yourself that you do, or do not, need 4 pounds of blueberries.
What a great list! I use to shop at Kroger all the time when I lived in Michigan. Miss their great deals! Now I shop at publix and Sams club.
I’ve heard great things about Publix as well.
Even as a single woman cooking for one, I LOVE Costco! I have a bunch of dietary restrictions, but I love that at Costco I can stock up on produce, eggs, almond milk, coconut milk, almond butter, coffee, frozen fruits, veggies and fish…etc. Best thing, ever!
Yes! They have so many options!
Looks like a good round-up here! The closest Costco to me is 70 miles away! So all my grocery shopping gets done at Kroger.
Kroger has great prices!
Costco drives me insane!! My ex and I would go and I would complain the whole time lol I’m glad you enjoy it! I hate grocery shopping in general, big fan of PeaPod!
I had to laugh at this! It can be really intimidating especially during a rush. What about it made you crazy?
You guys eat very healthy and that’s great that you use most (if not all) of the produce you buy.
I actually read an article that costco has a ton of vegan products which I never would have thought. I keep a mainly vegetarian diet and sometimes the receipt for grocery shopping can get $$. Thanks for sharing this!!
They do! And a bunch of gluten free items as well.
This is a great list! I do my groceries every week, and I find this really helpful. I still don’t know what I’m doing! Lol
What you’re doing in terms of how to put a meal together or how to buy groceries on a budget?
How great to have this info! I don’t know why I never think to buy some of the things you buy from Costco! I really need to revisit!
Do a cost analysis before you make the jump. It doesn’t work for everyone to shop there.
Always interesting to see what others buy in terms of groceries. I love costco as well and we are the same in the sense that we used to go once in a while and then it turned into every couple weeks. We like to go there for the hotdogs and fries for date night!
Certain things are perfect to get from costco for the prices but there are some items which is just too much food for the two of us but we usually freeze the rest and it’s great for later.
Love that you go there for date night. We only get soft serve for a very special treat.
Costco has some amazing tortilla chips!
They are SO delicious!
Ohh I love this post! I really need to get a membership to BJ’s. We don’t have a Costco nearby. I was just talking to my hubs about this the other day. Maybe we will finally go and get set up!
I’m not sure about the prices or quality of BJ’s compared to Costco, but I’m sure it would be worthwhile.
Our shopping lists look very similar except for a few things. It’s nice when we can get value for our money and develop a relationship with our grocery supplier. I don’t live in the States but I have similar sentiments towards my supermarket as well 🙂
What else do you include in your shopping list?
What a wholesome grocery list. It really does make a difference to buy from a warehouse like Costco or Sam’s Club.
I completely agree! For the amount of fruits and vegetables we eat, it’s just so much more affordable.
I love seeing other people’s grocery hauls, too! Thanks for sharing.
Out of curiosity, what’s your monthly grocery budget?
We are anywhere from $400-500 a month in groceries. That being said, we eat out once a week for dinner, and pack all our lunches and snacks.