11 Costco Food Items That Make Meal Prep Easier, According to a Food Writer
Plus she shares some of her go-to meal-prep tips, some of which may surprise you.
Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, M.S., RD
As a writer, recipe developer and busy mom of two small but seemingly always hungry kids, I lean into meal prepping as a way to ensure we eat nutritious, delicious meals each week. But it's also become an essential way that I prioritize my mental health. Both my 6-year-old and my 2-year-old come home from school and day care very hungry and prefer dinner to be on the table 15 minutes ago. And because I plan for it, I can almost always accommodate that.
When I say that meal prepping is essential for my mental health, I'm not just speaking in platitudes. I have ADHD and anxiety, and the chaos surrounding mealtimes can feel debilitatingly overwhelming. The combination of hungry (often whiny) kids, toys rolling and bouncing by, music playing in the background, my husband and kids recapping their days and asking me questions, and the natural sounds of cooking, all leaves me feeling overstimulated and unable to focus on the tasks at hand.
I started noticing that I had an increased sensitivity to noise at this time of day, when my eldest was about a year old. To be able to focus on making dinner without making mistakes and feeling overwhelmed, I'd have to turn off the kitchen fan and music so that I could concentrate on what I was doing. With just one kid, it still felt somewhat manageable to decide what to make for dinner on the fly. But with the increased needs of two kids, and my husband often still at work at this time, the "winging it" approach was causing me a lot of undue stress. This led me to rethink how I was making meals.
As I've gotten better at it, meal planning and prepping now gives back to me in a significant way. Being a bit more prepared has, undoubtedly, made our day-to-day lives easier. But most importantly, the planfulness of it allows me to go into the chaos and stress of mealtimes with a much calmer approach.
Here's what I do: Every Friday, I map out the week ahead and plan exciting dinners with lots of variety, two packable lunch ideas for my daughter and one to two make-ahead breakfast and snack ideas to stave off any meltdowns—theirs and mine. Now when I use the term meal prep, I don't mean that I do all of our cooking over the weekend. Instead I have a few essential meal components made before the week starts, choose one meal to make a double batch of so I am freed up from cooking on another night, and have certain ingredients prepped and ready to make cooking more efficient.
Here are some of the ingredients I regularly buy from Costco to make meal prepping as easy as possible.
1. Ground Turkey
I grew up in an era when fat was considered a foe. And while I have lots of room in my life for fat now, old habits still die hard. Ground turkey is my go-to ground beef substitute when I know the swap won't compromise on flavor. Sheet-pan meatballs that can be eaten as-is or tossed into soups and curries, quick-cooking burgers, veggie-packed chili with all the toppings, and Tex-Mex tacos or taco salad are favorites at my house. Plus I can easily make them in large batches to freeze, or make large batches fresh for multiple meals in the same week.
2. Plain Greek Yogurt
Yogurt is such a versatile ingredient, and it's one that we are never without. Of course, it can be eaten with granola and berries for breakfast or a snack. But for some added protein, tanginess and additional moisture, I particularly love adding a hefty scoop to pancakes and/or muffins that I batch-cook on the weekend to facilitate easy breakfasts and snacks during the week. And since we're a house of people who love a good sauce, there is always at least one homemade condiment kicking around the fridge. We love almost any leafy green with a healthier, yogurt-buttermilk ranch. And tzatziki is delicious with everything from roasted veggies and meat to a rotisserie-chicken-stuffed pita.
Related: How to Tell If Yogurt Is Bad
3. Rotisserie Chicken
Speaking of rotisserie chicken! It's our go-to for when we don't have a dinner plan and need dinner on the table right away. But I also buy one often for meal prepping. I like to take it off the bone and cut it up so that, depending on the week, it's ready for sandwiches, enchiladas, soups, hearty salads and easy pot pie. The pot pie filling is quick and easy to make with basics that I usually have in my pantry and fridge, like carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Cooked-down vegetables form the foundation of a creamy roux-based sauce made from chicken stock and milk. I then stir in the chicken, pour it into an oven-safe dish, top it with puff pastry, and bake until it's golden brown. It's always a hit, and the kids ask for seconds and thirds.
Related: 18 Sunday Dinners You Can Make with Rotisserie Chicken
4. French Green Beans
We eat a lot of vegetables in my house, and a 1½-pound bag of Costco's French green beans gives us three side dishes or one side plus a main course in which the beans play a starring role. Simple sautéed green beans with butter, salt, pepper and lemon juice are an easy sell to my kids. And because they can be steamed up in about three minutes, we often make them as an easy weeknight side. They are a bit pricier than regular green beans, but also much more flavorful and tender. If we're not eating them as a basic side, I'm usually adding them to a stir-fry or making them into a side salad by adding a vinaigrette and/or toasted nuts and cheese—both of which keep well in the fridge for a few days and pack well into lunchboxes.
5. Oats
There was a period of time when I was regularly buying a 22-pound bag of oats for our family from a community bulk ordering program. To say we eat a lot of oats is an understatement. But now I've turned to Costco for my oat needs. The 5-pound bag lasts me for about three weeks. They're perfect for batch-prepping Bircher muesli, granola and both baked and stovetop oatmeal. But I also use my blender to grind them into a rough flour to make muffins, quick breads, pancakes and cookies for lunches and snacks during the week.
Related: What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Oatmeal Every Day
6. Spinach
A 1-pound bag of spinach from Costco is another favorite veggie purchase, and I can use it for a couple of meals each week, like this easy skillet pasta or this skillet lemon chicken. Pro tip: Dishes like these work well for meal prep, but my trick is that I make them without adding the spinach. Then, the night we have it for dinner, I reheat it and add the spinach just before eating—no more brown greens! For a quick and easy side, I also love to sauté spinach in olive oil with garlic, salt, pepper and chile flakes, then finish it off with a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Any remaining spinach goes into smoothies, stuffed shells and omelets. And remember the ground turkey? For a bit of extra greenery, I also finely chop spinach and add it to burgers and meatballs, sprinkle it onto soups, stews and pastas instead of parsley, or turn it into pesto for a vibrant topping for pastas and sandwiches.
7. Tzatziki
Sometimes ease is the name of the game, and that's when I really lean into store-bought sauces. I love the Skotidakis tzatziki brand that's available at my local Costco. One of my favorite meal-prep meals to make is a seasoned grilled chicken or pork tenderloin and vegetables like roasted bell peppers and onions and sautéed broccoli. I serve it with a fresh tomato and cucumber salad, pita and/or rice with plenty of that tzatziki. This is one of the meals that I always make extra of, and we have a repeat meal or rejig leftovers into pita sandwiches.
8. Tofu
A nutritious, plant-based protein, tofu tops my list for foods to always have on hand. For a more laissez-faire approach to meal prepping, I cut or tear the extra-firm tofu into smaller chunks and drizzle with olive oil, a sprinkling of cornstarch and the seasoning du jour. These bits can be roasted, pan-fried or air-fried in a matter of minutes, and the end result is crispy and flavorful with some real umami. For more intentional meal prepping, I'll choose an inspiring marinade and roast a couple of blocks of tofu. Whichever way I choose in any given week, the resulting tofu is perfect for bulking up salads or grain bowls at lunch. But my favorite way to meal-prep with tofu is to make hearty breakfast burritos that I stash in my freezer for a quick meal any time of day. We like to add guacamole or avocado, pickled jalapeños and hot sauce, after reheating. I recommend doubling this recipe since they freeze well for up to three months.
9. Eggs
A go-to for obvious reasons, eggs are a versatile and quick source of protein. But when it comes to meal-prepping, I love to medium-boil a batch in advance for easy sandwich or salad add-ins. Peeled and topped with chili oil or dukkah, they also make an exquisite addition to any lunch or snack plate.
10. Frozen Berries
Frozen berries are often more accessible and affordable than their fresh cousins, so we stock them year-round. Plus they add fiber and antioxidants to some of my favorite meal-prep dishes like baked oats, muffins and quick breads. But I also love cooking them down into chia jam for stirring into Greek yogurt for an easy snack or to top frozen whole-grain waffles or pancakes.
11. Cashews
Cashews are a nut I love to meal-prep with. A simple cashew cream goes a long way in sweet or savory applications. I particularly love blending the cream with lime juice, jalapeño, onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper. This makes a delightful salad dressing or sauce for mixing into grains or pasta. For something sweet and deeply satisfying, I'll blend the cream with dates or maple syrup to use as a base for a more luxe, but nutrient-rich chia pudding. Both versions keep well in the fridge for a few days, making them great for meal prep.
