Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Costco has the coolest stuff at best prices, we all know that. Selection of organic and healthier foods is like nowhere else. Costco is THE store of all grocery stores. Costco and farmers market are my two most favourite places to shop.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

This is my Costco in March, probably just like yours, minus or plus the snow, palm trees or sunshine.

packages of becel

As soon as I put membership card back in the wallet, I immediately start loading shopping cart with Becel. No, kidding. Don’t buy that shit ever! Petroleum processed hydrogenated GMO oils, ewww. Keep scrolling to fats you need to buy.

Also, please understand that Costco’s selection varies by location and season. This is what I bought on one particular February day needing only particular items. I will update the list as I go. Also, do not hold a gun to my head telling me something isn’t healthy. It’s real life with 2 children.

Produce

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Spinach – Smoothies.

Asparagus, MushroomsClean Fifteen list.

Organic Zucchini

Snap PeasDirty Dozen but man the struggle in February re: vegetables is real, better than chips, right?! I patted myself on the back for not buying poisonous strawberries and bought snap peas instead.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

I swear Costco’s Avocados are the best I have ever had in my life! Not like other produce though, especially fruit from Spain, seriously?!

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Mini Cucumbers – Windset Farms is a local BC company that grows produce in greenhouses without pesticides but rather controls pests with bugs.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Non GMO Sweet Bell Peppers by Windset Farms.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

All kinds of melons are great to buy in winter because of their price and thick skin – they make Clean Fifteen list. Even if they were sprayed, all pesticides get cut off with the skin.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Grape Tomatoes – Usually my Costco has organic ones or Windset Farms. Not sure if these are sprayed or not but we already ate them. Next time I better not rush and look for my preferred brand.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Mango – Clean Fifteen list.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Strawberries – I buy only organic berries because EWG found 38 various pesticides on strawberries and raspberries in one report that DO NOT wash off with water. Costco is the best place to buy organic strawberries when they are in season somewhere besides home. Again, not often.

For those of us who don’t want to eat pesticide residues and who want to stop fumigants from endangering farm workers and neighbors, buying organic is a small price to pay. The transformation of strawberries from an occasional treat to a cheap and abundant supermarket staple should serve as cautionary tale about the consequences of chemically driven industrial agriculture.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019
Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Frozen Fruit – our favourite!!! We buy it year round, especially more in winter, for smoothies and just eating. Pineapple makes Clean Fifteen, so not organic is OK. We also buy organic strawberries, mango and cherries.

I also bought a bag of bananas (not organic which were just OK taste wise but are on Clean Fifteen list) and apples (which were disgustingly flavourless, so never again).

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Frozen Organic Edamame – Great addition to dinner when you don’t feel like making salad or chop vegetables, take to work as a snack.

Snacks

I have compiled a detailed list of 25 Costco healthy snacks.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Protein bars – I buy these once in a while for when I’m on the go. I honestly do not love the taste of these, they are OK. But what I like is that these protein bars are made with plant-based protein (non-GMO soy) and are low on added sugar. You gotta pick your battles.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Larabars and Taste of Nature Bars – While Larabars are not OK for school because of peanuts, we all love and use them for snacks at other times. I love the simplicity of ingredients – dates, peanuts and maybe chocolate chips.

Kids love them! Taste of Nature bars contain nuts but some are OK (without peanuts) to send to school with my oldest one.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Good Whole Food Crackers.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Pretzel Chips – I do not love that these pretzel crisps are made with white flour but at least they are non-GMO and not a sugary snack for school.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Crackers – Same story as with pretzel chips. At least these crackers do not contain cr@p.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Cakes – wholesome organic snack, good with nut butter or mashed avocado on top.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Apple Chips – Dehydrated apples, full of fiber and unprocessed, great for when you are out of fresh apples. I wish they were organic but oh, well.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Non-GMO popcorn is good for school snacks too – not a sugar plus the peanut and nut free policy makes school snacks nearly impossible to be non-junk.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Raisins – Perfect for school snacks. Seems like they come and go in my Costco. Raisins are dried grapes who like strawberries have thin skin and all pesticides just go right through, so organic are preferred.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Unsalted Mixed Nuts – We all love these! I gave up on buying organic nuts long time ago because they are so expensive. Not fried in canola or vegetable oil? Score!

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Raw Unsalted Nuts – Kirkland brand: walnuts, almonds, pecans – great for snacking and baking.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Food Should Taste Good – non-GMO Project Verified with better ingredients chips. Still chips, just healthier.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Crackers – I bought these crackers because they were on sale and contain good ingredients.

Grains

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Quick Cooking Steel Cut Oats – Organic and they make the best crunchy oatmeal in 15 minutes.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Cereal – I’m not a morning cook. I feed kids cereal, toast, eggs and oatmeal for breakfast. My breakfast philosophy is as less sugar and possibly all organic. I’m not making my own cereal simply because my kids don’t like it. Some things just won’t happen in my clean eating journey. C’est la vie.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Bread – all my 3 boys eat a lot of bread because they are boys who play sports and work out. I am not against grains at all, can’t imagine our life without bread, especially with schools that do not allow any kind of nuts. Plus honestly, only 1% of people are truly gluten intolerant, everything else is marketing. We are not, yay. We used to buy Dave’s Killer Bread but lately we switched to Silver Hill because it has 1 g of sugar vs. 5g in Dave’s. It is added sugar, please note. Silver Hill is a local bakery, so organic bread variety might vary for you.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Spelt Flour – from our local company. I LOVE baking with spelt flour instead of whole wheat because it is lighter. Our favourites are: healthy zucchini bread, healthy banana muffins and healthy blueberry muffins. To find affordable spelt flour is not always easy. So, thank you, Costco!!!

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Quinoa

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Brown Rice

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Rice and Quinoa Blend – Was on sale, so I got it. We do not eat white rice because it has been stripped of fiber and nutrients.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Healthy Ramen – With organic millet and brown rice, was on sale, not cheap otherwise. Doesn’t contain spices or broth. Good for emergency and to add variety to your healthy diet. Things can get boring pretty quickly in anyone’s household.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Whole Grain Pasta

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Red Lentil Pasta

Meat and Seafood

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019
Our Healthy Costco Shopping List for a busy family of 4 that eats real food 80% of time. Other 20% real life kicks in.

We do not buy meat at Costco except occasional Organic Chicken. I usually buy chicken from my local organic farmer, Alex fishes for salmon in Fall and my mom supplies us venison from their hunting trips in Alberta. Overall, we try to eat less meat and animal products => do we really need that much protein?!

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

My favourite Canned Salmon. There is a more expensive kind, sockeye salmon, but I am cheap. Well, sometimes I buy that one. We eat it straight from the can, especially me for lunch.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

You are probably looking at farmed Shrimp, I know. I buy it very rarely. To buy wild decent size shrimp is nearly impossible in Vancouver. So, c’est la vie. 4 times a year I buy it and make shrimp avocado tomato salad.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Smoked Salmon is expensive so it is a treat. Definitely once a quarter treat. It is wild, yay.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

My kids love tuna and I don’t (huge exception is my healthy tuna salad recipe – to die for creaminess and sweet and salty combo). I buy this pole and line kind which promises to be sustainable and pray it won’t “kill” us. Tuna contains mercury. 6 cans will last us 2-3 months, so I think we will be fine.

Coffee

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Coffeeeeeeeee…Only organic and only in a form of beans. We grind coffee ourselves. Coffee is extremely high in pesticides so only organic. Not to mention the flavour – Folgers, VanHoutte and Maxwell House are disgusting. I’m European – coffee, tea and wine must be good or bye-bye. That is why I always save leftover cold coffee to make healthy iced coffee and healthy frappuccino.

Coffee selection will greatly vary on your location, I found. I buy Salt Spring, Level Ground and Ethical Bean.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Fats

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Almond Butter – I’m not crazy about the fact that it is in a plastic jar, because fat products should be in glass jars due to contact with plastic. But I was already at Costco and had no time to go to a regular grocery store. My 10 year old likes it for school lunches when peanut butter is prohibited and almond butter is kinda allowed.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Peanut Butter

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Avocado Mayo – I was super happy to see it at Costco because it costs an arm and a leg in a regular store. This jar will last me a year. I like Chosen Foods mayo because it is made with avocado oil that is pretty much organic, organic eggs, honey and very good clean ingredients.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Avocado Oil for cooking all the way. It has a high smoke point and no aftertaste. And seriously, it is pretty much organic as avocados have thick skin and are barely sprayed.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

I use Organic Coconut Oil mostly as an ingredient in recipes like coconut oil fudge, no bake peanut butter pie and healthy chocolate coconut balls. I like to eat a bit by the spoon.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Olive Oil – Good olive oil is extra virgin, cold pressed and in a dark bottle.

Dairy and Eggs

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Almond Milk – For smoothies, coffee, cereal and baking.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Eggs

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Salted Butter – I would prefer unsalted but honestly I don’t care, I just add less salt to a meal I’m adding butter to. I’m not concerned about our salt intake because we barely eat processed foods which are a source of sodium concern. I use pink salt that is actually super good for us. Our bodies need salt in moderate amounts.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Vanilla Yogurt – I do not buy it often because one serving has as much added sugar as ice cream!!! It is crazy, right?! A whopping 19 g of sugar per 3/4 cup. Kids like it (of course), so I started to mix it up with plain yogurt. I do not eat added sugar yogurts.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Feta Cheese – For moderate consumption in salads like tomato pasta salad.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019
Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic and Grass-Fed Hard Cheese – For snacks and making casseroles like ground turkey quinoa casserole. I monitor the amount of cheese my kids eat, grown ups don’t eat much at all. I love the fact that Kerrygold cheese is made with grass fed milk and is imported from Ireland – quality product right there without being certified organic = common sense.

Cans and Jars

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Canned Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste – I like the fact that they are all organic considering tomatoes are on a Dirty Dozen list and low in sodium and added sugar. I can’t cook without these ingredients and buying them in glass jars organic is nearly impossible where I live due to price and availability. I am not crazy about cans but I think Kirkland cans are without BPA.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Salsa

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Hummus – Although I love my garlic hummus recipe dearly, sometimes it’s nice to buy hummus that tastes not bad and costs $5.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Coconut Milk – This brand is the best consistency coconut milk I have ever tried.

Emergency

I talk openly that we eat clean 80-90% of time because it is real life with 2 kids. So, meet my “emergency” food.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

70% Organic Ravioli – 70% works for me. Kids love it and I eat one or two.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Lentil Soup

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Cooked Turkey Breast – Ugh, I’m not crazy about this one as I’m not a fan of Lilydale. Even their organic chicken I’m not sure – I do not love commercial chicken farms, even organic. They still suck. But this particular time I went for cooked turkey breast without nitrites for lunches and dinners. I had to.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Cheese Pizza

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Sweet Potato Fries – makes me feel like I’m eating fries but healthier.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Salmon Burgers – I appreciate the fact that salmon is wild, however I’m not crazy about other non-organic or non-GMO ingredients. Therefore, it is an emergency food.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Mac and Cheese – When I have no time to cook (usually when I’m not home) I make kids Annie’s, at least it’s organic without nasty colours and additives. Also great for hot lunches, I put it in the one and only stainless steel thermos I found without plastic lid inside.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Veggie Burgers – Not entirely clean but better than eating a beef burger or other junk. We like to eat it with a salad, quinoa or brown rice; rarely on a bun.

Odds and Ends

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Raw Honey – Raw unfiltered honey is the best in terms of health benefits. Filtered honey is the same as liquid sugar. Best consumed raw.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Maple Syrup – I would say one of the healthiest and my favourite natural sweeteners. It doesn’t solidify as honey often does, makes great pancake syrup, and is so tasty.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Chia Seeds – I love making chia pudding for breakfast and snacks.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019
Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Flaxseed and Hemp Hearts – Healthy fats that frankly I don’t love but try to add to baked goods and whenever I can.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

I grew up eating Wild Mushrooms and was super happy to see them at Costco. I add wild mushrooms to soups and stews, just for a change.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Ketchup – Lasts us about a year haha. Ketchup is ketchup, still should be used sparingly as a condiment. We use rarely, like mayo.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Protein Powder

Treats

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Z Bars – At first I was going to add them to “Snacks” category but then I realized I don’t treat them this way. Z Bars are quite high in sugar and are no different than cookies, that is why my kids are crazy about them. And that is why I keep them out of reach and give when I am out of other snacks, aka back up/treat food. And I do not buy them every Costco shopping trip.

Also I have to give a credit to Cliff company for coming up with a catchy name “Z Bars” – kids love to say it and it is easy to remember, but that doesn’t change the fact that they are high in sugar. Cliff people, PLEASE reduce the amount of sugar and I will review my approach to Z Bars on my blog! Polite blackmail to keep our kids healthy.:)

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Juice Boxes – Juice falls into the same category as ice cream for me. I buy juice boxes 4 times a year, few times being summer when we go to the beach and field trips, and over winter for skiing trips.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Fudge Bars – At least no chemicals and colours.

Healthy Costco Shopping List 2019

Organic Cheese Strings – I make my kids celebrate cheese strings like candy.:)

So, here you have it, my healthy Costco shopping list. I will update it as I go.

I love you, Costco!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

  1. I miss being close enough to Costco to shop. I live in a very small town in Alabama and have no idea where the nearest Costco is. I have been a patron of the store for many years, so I wish I had one close by.

    1. Dear Joyce, how are you managing?! Kidding. I can’t imagine my life without Costco. Have you tried to Google the nearest Costco and then stock up for a few months? Most things can be frozen. I met a gentleman by the pool while in Mexico and he lives in a small town in Missouri. So he said nearest Costco is a 3 hour drive. I was shocked, honestly. I think I would still drive once a few months and stock up. I’m that Costco crazy.

  2. Thanks for the post. I love it. We don’t have a Costco where I live but a new Sam’s just opened and I am impressed by their organic options. I am going to make a list of other items I would like to see at Sam’s and hopefully Sam’s will listen. I am going to look for some of your items there.

  3. Haha! Spam???? We used to have to eaththat some times when my aunt who was on government assistance had more than she could use. She’d share it with my Mom and so…. well, it was not popular in my family but it was food, so we did eat it! I have read on some blogs that it is actually making a comeback! Just not in my life, lol!

      1. Yep! Grilled, I’ve even seen deep fried spam fries! Spam fried rice, spam muffins….paleo loves spam! Spam egg in the hole to replace toast! Yeech! Lol, some things shouldn’t be a food! I’ll take animal protein in limited amounts, and without ‘unknown parts’!

  4. That does it! I am joining! We have a Sam’s Club membership because they are very much closer, but they sure don’t have that many choice Organic items! At. All! It would well worth the 40 minute drive each way once a month! I know it’s just the two of us, but I feel wonderful when my pantry is stocked up and my freezer is full.

    I love your balance in eating and from what I see in your cart and in your recipes, you feed your family so well MOST of the time that, probably better than 90%, that a few meals here and there from your emergency stash or meals out, or a few vegs non-organic are nothing to look twice at. Good call on the strawberries! Those and regular peaches are two nonorganic I refuse to compromise with.

    1. Absolutely worth it, Laurel! My drive to Costco is about 25 minutes and I go about every 6 weeks. Can’t compare it to Sam’s club. We also shop Costco online for other non-food products like tires, rugs, natural detergent, fans. As executive members our membership costs $110/year and we get 2% cash back on purchases, so at the end of the year I get $150 cash back which makes the membership free and even making us money on top of savings. SWEET.

      1. Holy Cow! It wouldn’t make sense to join any other way! Love it and I am going to go for it. I run down that way for Trader Joe’s anyway about every 8 weeks. With T.J.’s ya gotta watch too. They sell a whole of over processed and items loaded with sugar along with many great priced organic and healthy, unusual items. But that is true everywhere, lol!

        1. Absolutely! Trader Joe’s is a catch 22 – they sell a lot of just “regular” sugar loaded food. You have to be selective what you buy there. Exactly, even health food stores sell a lot of “healthy” junk. Just buy real food – all we have to do.:)

  5. Olena, you are amazing! Sounds like you came to America as a teenager. I am so impressed with you. Your grammar is better than most native-born Americans. KUDOS TO YOU!! Loved your whole post, pictures, and comments. i buy a lot of what you do. Soooo interesting reading about your wonderful selections (and the ones that admittedly aren’t so wonderful but hey, we’re all entitled to slip occasionally). I’ll try the avocado mayo (already a long-time purchaser of their oil) . Pictures are great. Keep writing and sharing!!

    1. Thanks, Marge. I came to Canada at 19, that’s right. In Europe grammar is important, education is very important, anything with education has to be top notch. That is why I struggle here with local education system when mistakes are brushed off, like “oh well, just one mistake, not a big deal”. I don’t dwell on it much only because I love Canada, it is a great country and my kids will have to use their education in the country they receive it.
      My grammar used to be much better right after university and while I worked in a corporate world. Now, I find second guessing myself when to put a coma or period, because Canadian English grammar is so different from Russian and I haven’t worked out there for so long. I also used to speak and write Italian and French but now it is all gone because I haven’t used in so many years. Same with Ukrainian – I understand but can’t speak or write. Time is funny that way, like a sand. So, I’m thankful for my blog that keeps me on my toes re: writing. I know I make mistakes sometimes but oh, well. Like you, I’m aware that my grammar is better than many of the locals’, especially with “then/than”, “it’s/its”, “whether/weather” etc. Now that my kids are at school, I have seen it all and kinda stopped being surprised but no, I haven’t lol.

      1. Olena, Pardon the very late reply to your very nice reply to me. I didn’t know you replied; no email notification. Thanks so much for sharing about yourself. It’s so interesting. I’m a grammar snob for sure and absolutely cannot help myself from correcting anyone, any age, even a close friend, who says “would have went.” It drives me NUTS. And how about all the people that think that “a lot” is one word? C’mon, people! How sad that it’s your kids being in school that has caused you to not be surprised at the low levels of literacy. It’s the U.S., too, you can be sure. Continued good luck to you. I love reading your stuff! (Very funny the first picture in your Costco haul posting about that crap that we shouldn’t buy!)

        1. We are redesigning our website this Fall and I will tell my husband to install reply email notification. He talked me out of it for technical issues but I will insist and get my way.:)
          I’m a grammar seo too. Drives me nuts obvious simple mistakes, how can you not know?! I wasn’t born here and my spelling is better than many locals, I just don’t get it.
          North American education sucks. I love Canada with all my heart but low level of education and absolutely 0 drive to achieve anything in life is horrendous. Parents laugh at me being too particular and high demanding but they will pay the price for it when their kids graduate high school and become store clerks, and new immigrants and immigrants’ kids will work high tech and all white collar jobs (they already do now). I didn’t come to this country to work at Walmart, sorry. But how can you graduate college so illiterate? My son is going to grade 6 and him and all his friends do not know multiplication table by heart. In Ukraine it was grade 2 material LOL, come on. I’m so done relying on school, we are doing our own homework now and I taught him so much already last year grammar wise (now it’s math this year)! It is total non-sense teachers saying “I don’t believe in homework”, just easier for teachers, just to be nice people and that’s all we need. Which is total ignorance of the whole entire world, if you ask me. Parents are just bubble wrapping their kids to extent that makes me nauseous to be honest, it’s bizarre. That’s why I do not really hang out with parents, especially many moms. Judge me all you want but I have a different agenda from the government’s for my own kids.

        2. Olena,
          Love your blog! It was by accident that I found it and have been reading everything in it! Thank you!! I too am sickened by what is happening to our education system and I am a teacher…so sad…what you and Marge 201 talked about is oh, so true. You really hit the nail on the head with your comment about teachers and homework. It seems that so many are complacent to follow curriculum with the bare minimum without high expectations…again, so sad and such a disservice to our children. The non-expectation and making sure all children feel good about their grades is what I call “The blue-ribbon syndrome.” It is killing the incentive for children as they watch classmates earning top grades but doing nothing while they are working their butts off.

          Thank you so much for your blog! I am definitely a fan!

        3. I know. Combined with health crisis 2020 and it is better not to think about it all lol. Feel powerless. I used to laugh at once a week emails from teachers “making sure kids are OK” LOL now I don’t even read. Waste of time. And if you are a teacher and push hard, parents start complaining…crazy world! Eat healthy and stay strong haha.

  6. Great picks. I have not seen the mushrooms you have bought at our Costco but I am just getting to know it:) So how much is 1lb if not a secret. Thank you!

  7. Hi! Love the blog and the post! Shoot me an email we’d love to send you stuff. Also would love a link back to our site on this post!

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