2025 Healthy Costco Shopping List for Moms Who Don’t Cook
Costco Meal Prep Shopping List
Are you in need of a healthy Costco shopping list?
I have one here! And it’s available below as a PDF!
I used to carry guilt for not being able to provide my children (and my husband) deliciously home cooked meals every day.
I am not skilled in the kitchen, so the “What’s for dinner?” question used to put a giant pit in my stomach.
But when my sister, a health coach, pointed out to me that Costco has lots of healthy, easy options to feed a family, that all changed for me immediately!
I don’t like cooking, but I care about what I put in my body and my family’s.
I used to think if it was ready-made, it probably isn’t good for you. So I felt all this pressure (that I put on myself) to attempt to cook from scratch.
Most of the time, my meals weren’t ever that great. So the guilt and the frustration continued to pour on.
Through my sister’s education, however, I have learned what to look for and what to avoid in ready-made foods to ensure I am providing healthy, nutrient-dense meals for my family.
And better yet, they taste good!!
Now that I see how easy it is to put healthy meals on the table, I don’t care whether things are made from scratch. I just want to feed my family well and for everyone to like it.
I have Costco and my sister to thank for that!
What Constitutes Healthy?
Clean ingredients:
No chemicals or words I cannot pronounce.
No industrial seed oils. I stick with extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil as much as possible.
This is HARD to do with already-made products like marinara sauce. But there are some GREAT foods at Costco that meet this criteria!
5 ingredients or less. If I flip the package over and see a paragraph of ingredients, I usually put it back (unless it’s pizza of course).
I am a big believer in moderation and that all food–even a cupcake–is good. Because we need to have fun and enjoyment, too!
But, when it comes to the daily nutrients I choose to fuel my family’s bodies, I try to keep it clean and healthy.
Variety. I try to pair every meal with a protein, fat, and fiber. This helps maintain blood sugar balance, allowing us to protect our moods and maintain fullness longer.
By the end of the week (not day), I hope that my children have had exposure to all food groups: fruits, veggies, grains, protein, and dairy.
If they have exposure to all of the food groups in a day, then that is wonderful!
But, I was so comforted when our pediatrician made the comment that most toddlers are “carbivores”, and we need to look at the week’s view of food intake, versus the day’s, when it comes to feeding littles.
Healthy Costco Shopping List
Whether you don’t cook that often because you don’t have the time, or you simply don’t like to do it, this Costco meal prep shopping list will suit your needs. It provides healthy meals that are quick and easy to assemble…my kind of cooking 😉
7 Go-To Meats
These are my go-to meats and are on a regular rotation in our house. All of these meats are fully cooked (except for #7) and require minimal effort in terms of food prep. They are tried and true by my family of 4 (my 5 year old, almost 3 year old, husband, and me) and are awesome for those days I don’t have time to cook or just don’t feel like it.
1. Chicken Apple Sausage
Source: Costco
We heat these up and serve with eggs and toast or include them in burritos.
This is hands down our most favorite meat on the list. Our kids even like to eat them sliced cold in their lunch boxes.
2. Mediterranean Style Chicken Skewers
Source: Costco
Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and no preservatives, this chicken is delicious!
It tastes so good that our kids eat it plain by itself. But we also enjoy the chicken in quesadillas, burritos, salads, and sandwiches.
These skewers are our second most favorite meat on the list.
3. Sliced Grass Fed Beef Sirloin
Source: Costco
We eat these in the various ways mentioned above with the mediterranean chicken.
Tortillas are a staple in our house; our kids tend to eat anything inside of them, so we get to sneak in new proteins and veggies that way.
Our favorite tortillas come from Trader Joe’s, but I know Costco has lots of tasty options, including a grain free tortilla, if you prefer that.
4. Hillshire Farm Deli Meat
Source: Costco
Our children’s most favorite way to eat deli meat is on a King’s Hawaiian Roll with Havarti Cheese and mayo.
Their second favorite way is by itself–easy and convenient! I like Hillshire Farm because there are no added nitrates or nitrites.
5. Kirkland Hot Dogs
Source: Costco
These hot dogs are the ones that are served in the food court! They technically have more than 5 ingredients listed, but as far as hot dogs go, these are a win in my book.
They have no fillers, corn syrup, or by products that hot dogs often have. And, they are all beef. We don’t even grill them…we just microwave them!
6. Chicken Nuggets
Source: Costco
Not only are these a healthier choice of chicken nuggets, but even my husband and I will eat them when it has been a day because they taste good!
7. Carne Asada
Source: Costco
The carne asada is a true crowd pleaser! It is one of the best healthy Costco finds!
The meat is on the chewier side when it comes to feeding our littles. But, it is flavorful and our kids do love it. We just have to really mince the meat for them.
5 Additional Meats
Here are additional healthy meats available at Costco. I personally have not tried them. But I wanted to include them because you might love them, and they contain clean ingredients.
1. Kirkland Smoked Pulled Pork
Source: Costco
2. Paleo Smoked Chicken Sausage
Source: Costco
3. Kirkland Beef Pot Roast
Source: Costco
4. Kirkland Chunk Chicken Breast
Source: Costco
Caitlin Self, the nutritionist behind Frugal Nutrition, says that canned meats are a nutritious and economical way to shop.
I bet this would be good in a chicken salad sandwich–a potential crowd pleaser!
5. Teton Waters Ranch Polish Sausage
Source: Costco
I know a couple people who rave about this sausage and say not only is the meat clean but that it tastes amazing.
It’s supposed to be one of the best healthy Costco foods there is!
11 Sides
On the nights when the extent of my cooking is putting food in the microwave, the below healthy foods from Costco come to the rescue, as I use them to add to the main course. They provide beneficial vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and fiber depending on what you choose.
1. Kirkland Fruit & Veggie Pouches
Source: Costco
Even I love these–not just my kids. What I love most about them is that they are simply fruits and veggies. There are no added sugars.
2. Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips
Source: instacart
As a vegetable turned into a healthy chip, we are addicted to these in our house.
3. Cheese
Source: Costco
Our fridge is always stocked with one of these cheeses:
-Tillamook block cheese
-String cheese
-Babybel cheese
-Tillamook snack cheese (pictured above)
-Havarti Sliced cheese
4. Canned Foods
Source: Costco
Olives are so fun for children! Our kids demand at least 5 olives each to cover the tops of their fingers as they pluck them off and into their mouths. The entertainment they get from decorating their fingers in olives is pretty cute. Plus, olives are a healthy fat.
Canned green beans and corn are such easy things to warm up. They taste sweeter than many vegetables, so only adding butter, salt, and pepper gives enough flavor for all to enjoy.
5. Fruit cups
Source: Costco
Truth be told, I had to warm my kids up to these…The oranges are in a juice that has zero syrup or added sugars, so they are not sweet like other fruit cups.
My husband and I like to eat them, but our kids had to get used to seeing us eating them first before eventually asking to try them again.
6. Cheese Whisps
Source: Costco
OMG. I LOVE these. We eat them like crackers. They are great for my kids’ lunch boxes. I also enjoy them on my salads. Whisps are a wonderful source of protein.
7. Kirkland Cottage Cheese
Kirkland cottage cheese is a lot of cottage cheese, but we go through it fast in our house because we make a lot of high protein pancakes; they are number 3 on my list of 35 Easy AND Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas.
8. Produce
Our main produce purchases at Costco are grapes, berries, carrots, and bell peppers. Our kids eat all of those and like to dunk the veggies in Primal Kitchen Ranch Dressing (a purchase I usually have to make on Thrive Market, but Costco sometimes carries that brand).
9. Kirkland Greek Yogurt
Source: instacart
Our Costco only sells fat free. I wish they had other options because the fat in yogurt is a healthy fat. But the size of the tub is so convenient because we go through yogurt really fast in our house.
I alternate buying yogurt from Costco and Fry’s. Our favorite yogurt from Fry’s is the Greek God’s brand. We do plain yogurt and sweeten it with honey and berries.
10. Avocado Cups
Source: Costco
I love to sprinkle salt and eat these with nothing else but a spoon. Being a healthy fat, avocados help you feel full longer, along with providing many great health benefits.
These can be easily packed in lunch boxes. My kids’ favorite way to eat them is dunking their quesadillas.
11. That’s It Fruit Bars
Source: Costco
Everyone in our house loves these. They are small enough to fit in a lunch box and are the perfect “side” for those nights you just can’t cook…or are maybe running low on fresh produce…
15 Pantry Items
Keep your pantry stocked with these healthy Costco finds and you will always be able to come up with a quick and nutritious meal for you and your family.
1. Rao’s Marinara Sauce
Source: Costco
I think this sauce is a little boring tasting. But we jazz it up with parmesan and meatballs.
And, I will take the plainer taste of this sauce over another jar because most other marinara jars contain industrial seed oils.
It’s apparently Ina Garten’s favorite jarred sauce, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa from Food Network.
2. Rao’s Alfredo Sauce
Source: instacart
THIS sauce is delicious. It’s our daughter’s favorite.
3. Banza Noodles
Source: instacart
I love these noodles because they’re made from garbanzo beans. When I am craving noodles but don’t want the heavy feeling I sometimes get from regular noodles, I turn to these. They are an awesome source of protein!
My husband even likes them, which says a lot, because he thinks a noodle made out of beans is gross. But you really can’t tell the difference with Banza Noodles.
4. Kirkland Honey
Source: Costco
We eat A LOT of honey. We top it on our yogurt. We add it to our oatmeal. We use it in our peanut butter energy balls. We drizzle it over peanut butter banana quesadillas…
All of these items are listed in my 35 Easy AND Healthy Toddle Breakfast Ideas.
5. Kirkland Almond Flour
Source: Costco
The almond flour at Costco might be a more cost effective option for you than the almond flour at your local grocery store. That’s the case for me…
Truth be told, I’m the only one in our house who likes to eat foods with almond flour as an ingredient (and my husband tolerates it)…
When my children were between the ages of 1 and 2, they ate whatever I made (like almond flour waffles etc.). But now that they are older (one is almost 3 and the other is 5), they prefer regular flour. If you’ve never had almond flour before, it’s a bit grainy.
6. Archer Beef Sticks
Source: Costco
My son and I are the only ones who eat these, as my daughter thinks they’re too spicy and my husband feels funny about beef in a tube.
But, they are such a convenient and flavorful way to get a boost of protein, and they contain only clean ingredients.
If you’re Costco doesn’t carry Archer beef sticks, a great alternative that you can usually find in Costco is Chomps beef sticks.
7. Unreal Chocolate
Source: Costco
I am a sucker for dark chocolate, and so are my kids.
Dark chocolate packs a lot of antioxidants. It also promotes skin and heart health. With less sugar than milk chocolate, it is a wonderful treat or snack!
I specifically love the brand Unreal because the ingredients are clean. This is one of the best healthy Costco finds!
8. Coco Rolls
Source: instacart
These are SO GOOD. They are a great little pick me up when you feel the need for a sweet. Made with clean ingredients, they are fun to include in yogurt or to just eat by themselves.
9. Kirkland Peanut Butter
Source: Costco
Peanut butter is my most favorite food. And it might be my kids’ too…we eat it by the spoonfuls. I am a bit addicted.
The Kirkland peanut butter is by far the greatest tasting peanut butter there is. We all absolutely love it.
10. Almond Butter
Source: Costco
This is also incredibly tasty.
11. Loafs of Bread
Did you know that loafs of bread freeze really well? We buy two loafs at a time and freeze one of them.
When we are ready, we just move the frozen one to the fridge and keep it in there. It doesn’t dry out or change in taste at all!
12. Kirkland Pine Nuts
Source: Costco
For someone who doesn’t have the time to cook, making a homemade pesto is easy and fast. But the pine nuts needed for a pesto sauce can be pricy!
That’s why I like to buy mine from Costco. They last a really long time when refrigerated, and I use them to make the pesto sauce listed under #17 in 21 Toddler Meal Ideas the Whole Family Can Enjoy.
13. Siete Tortilla Chips
Source: instacart
These chips are great for making oven baked (or even microwaved) nachos, a simple yet filling meal.
We add one of the meats listed above with olives, peppers, beans, and loads of cheese. Yum!
14. Chosen Foods Classic Mayo
Source: instacart
I haven’t tried this yet but just recently heard all the craze about it! It’s supposed to be one of the best healthy Costco foods there is!
This mayo is made with 100% pure avocado oil instead of soybean oil, cage-free eggs, and other organic ingredients that make it a very healthy alternative to traditional mayonnaise. And, you can’t beat the Costco price!
15. Kirkland 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Source: Costco
A lot of extra virgin olive oils are not authentic; they are fake with dirty ingredients.
When you look at the back of a bottle and see several different areas from where the olives come from, the more likely the olive oil is a bit dirty.
With the Kirkland brand being 100% from one country (Italy), the olives are better quality and better for you. Bobby Parrish from FlavCity talks a lot about this and how awesome the Kirkland EVOO is.
4 Things Just for Moms
For busy moms on the go, these 4 items are helpful to have, as you get nutrient dense foods with little effort! They are healthy Costco finds that are great!
1. Salad Bags
The salad dressing in premade salads isn’t the healthiest. But, I eat it…not all the time, but I do…it’s so convenient and delicious and it goes over a ton of vegetables…so, I figure everything in moderation is fine!
A healthy, easy alternative would be to still buy the salad bags and then just drizzle your own extra virgin olive oil and vinegar on them in place of the packaged dressing.
2. Frozen Veggie Bags
Source: Costco
My brother is the one who introduced me to these frozen veggies. He helped me see how convenient eating well can be when you have frozen veggies on hand.
My 2 year old and 5 year old don’t care for this particular bag of veggies…But I love them because you just dump them in a pan and add any of the meats listed above.
Or, I skip the meat and do a can of beans and frozen rice from Trader Joe’s. Trader Joe’s organic frozen rice (white and/or brown) is ready in 3 minutes and is crazy delicious.
3. Mamma Chia Squeeze
Source: Target
These are just for me. They are one of my favorite snacks to help keep me going during the day. For more on snacks just for moms, check out 26 Healthy Snacks for Moms That Are Quick & Easy.
4. Nuts
Source: Costco
Nuts are an awesome source of nutrition that I wish my children liked to eat, too. They are great to keep on hand because they provide protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
However, a lot of packaged nuts are coated in industrial seed oils. The Kirkland cashews pictured here are my favorite, as they are just raw cashews.
Other great ones to have in your pantry are almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and pecans.
If you’d like the Costco Shopping List PDF, click here. Happy shopping!
Read Next:
Healthy Trader Joe’s Grocery List
50+ Healthy Preschool Snacks That Are Fun & Easy
26 Healthy Snacks for Moms That Are Quick & Easy
35 Easy AND Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas
21 Toddler Meal Ideas the Whole Family Can Enjoy
