My Top 12 Healthy Picks at Costco

It's no secret that I am obsessed with Costco.  The place is fantastic!  You can buy your broccoli, fill a prescription, get photos printed, buy a cashmere sweater and even order your car at Costco.  I am certainly guilty of walking away with some large bulk sized items that end up being #fails at our house, but I think I've streamlined our shopping trips to a science now.  If the husband tags along though, all bets are out the window.

A couple of years ago, when we got serious about eating healthy, Costco became even more important to us.  We're not particularly adventurous with our dinners during the week.  We stick to a pretty standard menu Monday through Friday so that when the weekends come around, we can order take out or grab a bite to eat at a restaurant.  Often referred to as the 80/20 plan, we keep things healthy and easy 80% of the time and treat ourselves the other 20%. 

Here are my top picks for healthy finds at Costco. If you're invested in making 2017 a healthy year, try some of these out!  I have also included some price comparisons from the local grocery store.   PS-I hope you appreciate the list because I was getting a lot of weird looks while I was taking notes and photographing the merchandise.  

Comment below with some of your favorite Costco items!

1. Skinny Pop
Costco: $4.99/ 14 oz bag (.356/oz.)
Local grocery: $3.99 for 4.4 oz bag (.90/oz.)
The toughest thing about eating better is the snacking.  For those of us that crave salty snacks, this can be a great alternative to potato chips or even regular popcorn.  With only 150 calories for a 3 3/4 cup serving, it can help get you through those mid afternoon slumps.

2. Edamame spaghetti
Costco: $9.89/2 lb. box ($.31/oz.)
Local grocery: $3.99/7 oz. ($.57/oz.)
One of the first things my husband and I changed about our eating was that we lost the heavy carbs at dinner.  No rice, pasta or potatoes at dinner time.  Let's face it, there's only so many nights we are willing to eat zoodles (or even have zucchini on hand, for that matter).  This edamame pasta is a great alternative and packs 25g of protein in a 2 oz. serving.  Costco seems to offer at least 1 or 2 of these alternative pastas that are worth checking out. 

3. Quinoa
Costco: $11.49/4.5 lb. ($2.55/lb.)
Local grocery: $9.99/26oz. ($6.15/lb.)
Quinoa is a great grain alternative to rice and pasta.  It's easy to cook and is one of the only plant foods that is a complete protein. It's excellent in cold salads and as a rice substitute.

4. No Salt Seasoning
Costco: $7.99/14.5 oz. ($.55/oz.)
Local grocery: $2.99/2.5 oz. ($1.12/oz.)
The last thing you want to do when trying to eat healthy is load up on sodium.  Not only do you retain water leaving you feeling bloated, but you increase your risk of high blood pressure.  Try adding some no salt seasoning to jazz up the flavor in your food.

5. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Costco: $13.99/2L ($.21/oz.)
Local grocery: $7.99/16.9 oz. ($.42/oz.)
Olive oil has long been shown to be a healthier option when it comes to oils.  Not only is it delicious, but it contains omega 3 fatty acids and antioxidants.  Swap out your non stick cooking spray with a Misto and fill it up with olive oil.

6. Almond Milk
Costco: $7.59/6-32oz. boxes ($1.26/32 oz. box)
Local grocery: $2.99/32 oz. box
Costco recently came out with it's own brand of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  Not only is it just as tasty as the previous brand name they carried, but it is almost $2 cheaper per case of 6!  Containing only 30 calories a cup and 1 g of carbs (vs 130 calories and 12g carbs in 2% milk) it's in heavy rotation in our house with our Shakeology.

7. Organic cage free eggs
Costco: $5.99/2 dozen (.$25/egg)
Local grocery: $5.49/dozen ($.45/egg)
Behold the edible egg! Eggs are a great and inexpensive source of protein complete with omega 3 fatty acids.  Cage free eggs are not only more humane for the animals, but they have been shown to be the healthier option with less cholesterol, more omega 3 and beta carotene. 

8. LaCroix
Costco: $6.99/24 cans (.$29/can)
Local grocery: $9.00/24 ($.37/can)
2 years ago, I gave up Coke.  I just decided I didn't need to drink it anymore.  Once I started eating healthier, I realized that it was just too sticky sweet for my taste buds.  Let's face it though, nothing is more refreshing than the bite of a cold carbonated beverage.  LaCroix has been that great replacement for us with no sugar and zero calories. 

9. Wholly Guacamole Minis
Costco: $11.99/20 cups ($.60/each)
Local grocery: $5.49/6 ($.91/each)
Avocado-it's so creamy and delicious.  If you're up here in the Midwest though, it's pretty darn expensive for the majority of the year.  These mini packs are the perfect portion of guacamole with no additives. Even better?  These can be frozen, so don't be afraid to buy the Costco size and save! 

10. Power greens
Costco: $5.49/1.5 lbs. ($3.66/lb.)
Local grocery: $5/1 lb.
Leafy greens.  I have to be honest--I don't love 'em.  I am not a big salad fan, and I am especially not a kale fan.  Unfortunately, these dark leafy greens happen to be pretty amazing for you.  This mix is great to jam into your shake or smoothie, and the sweeter spinach cuts some of the bitterness from the chard and kale.

11. Kerrygold Butter
Costco: $7.69/24 oz. ($2.56/8 oz. bar)
Local grocery: $3.49/8 oz. bar
In the 80s, you were told that butter was awful for you and that margarine was best. Remember the talking margarine tub?  Now, nutritionists realize that butter is a great source of fat that can help your brain health.  Grass fed?  Because happy cows eat grass and make tasty butter. 

12. Ground bison
Costco: $19.99/2.5 lbs. ($7.99/lb.)
Local grocery: $12.99/lb.
After about a year of eating nothing but ground turkey, it was time to reintroduce moderate amounts of red meat into my diet.  I ditched my usual organic ground beef one day and opted for ground bison.  The flavor is amazing.  Think really lean ground beef but kicked up in flavor a few notches.  Bison has less fat and more protein than regular beef which makes it a great choice.