Costco for Two – Top Ten Products: June 2017

You know the Jeff Foxworthy bit about “You know you’re a redneck when (fill in the blank)? We now bring you the Think Beyond The Nest version, based on the idea that ever since becoming empty nesters we’ve seen our shopping habits at Costco dramatically change.  We’ve had to be much more thoughtful about what we can buy in bulk and what we can’t.  One day it occurred to us that “Costco for Two” sounded like a pretty interesting blog post!  So, we made a trip to our local Costco and have highlighted some of our current favorites.  We’d love to hear your favorites too!  Please, do share!:)

“You know you are an empty-nester Costco lover when ____________:”

1. Soylent Green in a Bottle, also known as Suja Green, is an everyday drink mixer. Lailan:  Oh my gosh, I love this drink SO MUCH!  It’s filled with so many good things and is low in sugar compared to other green drinks.  Along with my morning coffee, I make what I call “my morning concoction” consisting of one packet of Emergen-C, water, a shot of this Suja Mighty Greens, and then a shot of POM Wonderful Pomegranate Juice.  Drink it all down, and I am packed with energy boosting vitamins for the day!  The great thing about this big bottle of Suja Mighty Greens is not only the great Costco cost, but that it lasts a long time!:)
   

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2. You favor Fig Bars over Snicker’s Bars. Phil: The Costco fig bars are not your father’s Fig Newtons. I never crave anything “fig” related and I’m not even sure what a fig is, but who cares, I love this product. They are a great mid-day snack, perfect to keep in your briefcase, glove box, or golf bag. The big Costco box comes with four, 12-pack boxes of different flavors:  apple-cinnamon, blueberry and raspberry.  Lailan:  If you’re not a big breakfast eater like me, these are great for when you’re running out the door on your way to yoga class in the morning, or work, or wherever.
   

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3. You buy and actually use Egg Whites In-A-Carton. Lailan: Yes!  My friend, Caryll Schultz turned me on to these awesome little cartons of egg whites.  They come 6 cartons to a box and store easily in a second fridge.  I usually add egg whites to our scrambled eggs in the morning, to our oatmeal for protein, and use egg whites now a lot in baking!  Love these handy, little guys  Thanks, Caryll!:) 
   

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4. You stock up on Almond Milk and store unopened boxes in the pantry. Lailan: Without boys home, we don’t fly through gallons of milk any longer.  If you are a fan of Almond Milk like we are, you will love these perfect-sized boxes of Kirkland’s Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk.  Six boxes come in a pack and they store nicely in a pantry.  We just pull out one at a time as needed.  We usually use the almond milk on cereal in the morning, in smoothies, and even in recipes! 
   

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5. Live large and treat yourself to a Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich.” Phil: These breakfast sandwiches are simply awesome. Packed with protein and other good stuff like turkey sausage and egg whites, they taste great and are so easy to heat up and go! Microwaves might vary, but I defrost for the recommended two minutes, and then hit full power for only 20 seconds (a bit less than what’s recommended on the box).  Let it cool for a 30 seconds or so and then enjoy.  The Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich may or may not have been a dinner meal when Lailan was out of town!  Lailan:  Ha!  Sorry, Phil!:)  Phil:  Don’t be sorry, Lailan. Breakfast for dinner is always a good idea!
   

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6. You risk frostbite and hypothermia to snag a carton of fresh blueberries in the giant Costco cooler. Phil: the Costco blueberries are alway plump and fresh and taste great. I eat a handful almost every day with oatmeal (mostly in the winter time) and Cheerios with Almond Milk in the summer. Granted you might need a parka to survive the Costco fruit/vegetable cooler, but it’s worth the effort!
   

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7. You drink coffee for two, but buy Kirkland Pacific Gold Keurig refills for a 100! Phil: Even though there is only two of us around the house with a single Keurig coffee maker, we still seem to blow through the little coffee pods. We don’t drink that much coffee, do we? Anyway, we love the Kirkland brand of coffee pods – the Pacific Bold product is a good middle-of-the-road blend.  It is bold (yup – more to Lailan’s liking, but it works well for me too (more of a lighter blend kind of coffee drinker).
   

   
   
   

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8. You buy hard boiled eggs. Lailan:  I love these!  They come in 4 convenient packs of 6 hard boiled eggs each and last quite a long while.  We use them to make egg salad sandwiches, to cut up on salads, and to grab and eat in the morning or if we’re in a hurry heading out the door.  Great source of protein!
   

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9. You could literally eat a Taylor Farms Asian Cashew Chopped Salad for every meal. Lailan:   Um, yes, I could literally eat this Asian Cashew Chopped Salad for every meal, and poor Phil knows it’s true!  Just add some cooked chicken to it for protein, and you are good to go!  Great summertime meal for two!  I also really like the 7 Superfoods salad pictured here, but Phil is not a big fan of Kale so we don’t have it as often as we have the Asian Cashew Salad.:) Phil:  Sorry, Lailan. It’s a texture thing.
   

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10. You rationalize eating pancakes because they have protein – Kodiak Cakes – and still make Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes because you just miss doing so. Phil: We recently dedicated an entire blog post to Kodiak Cakes and they are still one of our favorite Costco products to date. Click here to read our post about these “Power Cakes.” So easy to make, so yummy and less sugar than other pancake mixes. Might even pull out the waffle maker soon and give that a try!
    

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Lailan’s BONUS PEEK INSIDE THE FRIDGE:  Heard these were wonderful for two! Eager to create our own, nutritious  pizza!  We will share more on these after we give them a try!:)