Costco’s Gone Paleo & Beyond: 100+ Recommended Buys, including Beyond Bacon and a GIVEAWAY!

This post includes: our 100+ recommended items at Costco USA, including a printable shopping list, our announcement & excitement about Beyond Bacon being on that list, and a GIVEAWAY – don’t miss it all, below! ♥

THE GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED – THE WINNER IS KALLI BARKER! 

While there are plenty of negative news stories circulating daily on the downward spiral of our nation’s health, there are many positive changes that we see happening both in our own backyard, in states across the U.S. and in neighboring regions as well. From gluten-free options at national chains and amusement parks, to a paleo section at the Whole Foods hot bar, and now national grocery stores (both big and small) are not only supporting organic farmers and vendors, but dedicating entire sections of their store to sustainable and healthy options to help inform their customers!

Costco has been selling organic produce for a long time, and has been quietly surprising their customers with more and more paleo/primal options found throughout their store. In recent months they have made their support for organic fare all the more clear and known by labeling all organic options with green, very visible labels. And beyond the items labeled organic, there is a wealth of sustainable and healthy products and resources. In fact, we have been seeing paleo cookbooks on their book table for years, long before the word paleo was even mainstream.

That large table in the center of Costco has become somewhat of a coveted spot for authors. In addition to waiting for news regarding placement on the New York Times Best Sellers list, many authors wait for news on whether or not they will be carried by Costco. You may remember that this last fall we received some big Costco news when we found out that our third book, Real Life Paleo, became available in Costco stores throughout Canada. And what a massive moment that was when I went to Canada and saw our third book baby there on those tables in Costco, accessible to so many people whom we had hoped to share our message with. After all, it has always been our dream to share our learnings with the masses – to provide “regular families” with a tool to change their health the way that we were able to change ours!

And then it happened again – this last week we received news that our second book, Beyond Bacon, AS OF TODAY will now be available in Costco stores across the U.S. (insert very loud squee here)!!!! Beyond Bacon holds a very special place in our hearts. While we love all of our books, Beyond Bacon is our serenade to all the things we love about food – amazingly rich flavor combinations, beautiful presentation, pasture raised flavor and quality, and eating in a way that is both sustainable to your health, wallet, and the eco-system!

So this past weekend as we headed to Costco (as we often do on the weekends – hello family of five with three active, growing boys!) to stock up on our usual favorites, we approached the book table with breaths held in the hopes that there our pork-loving baby would be. And oh my lard – THERE IT WAS!

You better believe it that we signed as many copies as we could!! If you are in the NoVa area, be sure to grab a signed copy from the Costco in Fairfax! And to everyone else in the U.S. be sure to grab your copy of Beyond Bacon – available now!

While you are there, we highly encourage you to check out the items labeled in green so you can see all the many affordable organic options that Costco so wonderfully provides. And if you are curious to know what we put in our cart and recommend to others, check out our full list below, complete with printable shopping guides!

Finally, we are looking at setting up some signings at other Costco stores across the U.S. If you would like us to visit your hometown leave us a comment and tell us where we should go!

Home Section

1. Beyond Bacon!!♥!♥!♥!!
2. Ello Glass Water Bottles
3. Snap Top Reusable Glass Containers
4. Compostable, Recycled Material Paper Plates (for paleo potlucks!)

Meat & Refrigerated Section

Our local store is rather small and doesn’t have fresh grass-fed beef or lamb or pastured pork – but may large stores (especially West Coast locations in America), so make sure to ask your butcher shop!

1. Fresh Organic Chicken
2. Fresh Organic Beef
3. Fresh Wild Caught Tuna
4. Fresh Wild Caught Salmon
5. Fresh Wild Caught Tilapia
6. Fresh Wild Caught Cod
7. Fresh Wild Caught Scallops
8. Fresh Wild Caught Lobster
9. Salmon with Basil Pesto Butter or with Pesto and Pistachios (prepared in-house)
10. Bacon (ours doesn’t have any great brand, but some locations carry clean paleo-friendly brands)
11. Hot Dogs (ours doesn’t have any great brand, but some locations carry clean paleo-friendly brands)
12. Uncured Ham
13. Smoked Salmon
14. Prosciutto
15. Aidell’s Chicken Sausage
16. Cuisine Solution Sliced Beef
17. Kerrygold Grassfed Butter and Cheese

Fresh Produce

Even our small store carries SO much fresh produce, in both the open air, dedicated cold fridge, and even the area by meats and cheeses. Just consider the dirty dozen and clean fifteen list. We consistently find that Costco has the best prices on:

1. Love Beets
2. Fresh Organic Salsa
3. Organic Spring Mix Salad
4. Parisian Salad (we skip the croutons and use our own dressing)
5. Sweet Kale Salad (we skip the croutons and use our own dressing)
6. Power Greens Mix
7. Baby Spinach
8. Asparagus
9. Snack Apples
10. Baby Carrots
11. Fresh Fruit Salad
12. Cut Pineapple
13. Cut Mango
14. Wholly Guacamole (mini and regular)
15. Dates
16. Onions
17. Clementines
18. Potatoes
19. Berries
20. Apples

Frozen Foods

We find the key to success with paleo is planning ahead. Filling our freezer full of healthy meats and vegetables means that we never have an excuse that “there’s no food in the house”. These frozen foods are favorites in our house, especially the Jones sausages – which the boys are able to microwave themselves (and may or may not be the fantastic reason we get to sleep in a bit more on the weekends):

1. Jones Sausage
2. Organic Wild Berries
3. Shrimp
4. Various Cuts of Chicken (like wings, breasts, tenders)
5. Wild Caught Salmon
6. Wild Caught Cod
7. Wild Caught Flounder
8. Wild Caught Mahi Mahi
9. Wild Caught Mackerel
10. Duck
11. Baby Peas
12. Normandy Veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

Dairy Section

Unfortunately our store doesn’t carry any grass-fed dairy, other than the Kerrygold in the meat section – but, we can find Silk Almond Milk there (noted below in not paleo list).

1. Organic Eggs
2. Naked Smoothies

Pantry Items & Snacks

It had been a long while since I weaved my way up and down the entire Costco store, looking at all of the foods they offer – and then reading ingredients lists. I am extremely pleased to tell you, that past the processed food there are seemingly endless paleo-friendly items in just my small local store! The kids love getting fruit in cups and apple squeezers while Matt and I love all the affordable basics, like nuts and dried fruit for trail mix snacks and baking needs. If it’s been a while for you, too, we highly encourage you to spend the hour or two it takes to fully look at all the things you may be interested and read the ingredients, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

1. Organic Power Nut Mix
2. Beef Jerky
3. Cashews
4. Roast Almonds
5. Bare Fruit Apple Chips
6. Freeze Dried Fruit
7. Pistachios
8. Macadamia Nuts
9. Vanilla
10. Spices
11. Mayorga Organic Coffee
12. Honest Kids Juice Drink
13. Coconut Juice
14. Coconut Water
15. Mott’s Organic No Sugar Added Apple Sauce
16. Go-Go Squeezers
17. Fruit in Cups in Juice
18. Grade B Maple Syrup
19. Raw Honey
20. Raw Pecans
21. Raw Almonds
22. Raw Walnuts
23. Dried Cherries
24. Dried Dates
25. Dried Figs
26. Dried Blueberries
27. Chosen Foods Avocado Oil
28. Carrington Farms Coconut Oil
29. Canned Black Olives
30. Chia Seeds
31. Organic Canned Tomato Paste
32. Organic Diced Tomatoes
33. Canned Mushrooms
34. Canned Tuna (we recommend Wild Planet or Kirkland sustainably caught brands)
35. Canned Salmon (we recommend Bear & Wolf brand)
36. Canned Sardines (we recommend the Seasons brand)
37. Canned Clams (we recommend King Oscar brand)

Non-Paleo,  but we buy it:

So, the 80/20 rule applies here… although, since these are 10 items out of a 100+ item list, that’s actually even better odds at 90/10. Technically, these items aren’t paleo – but our not-paleo-perfectionist household sometimes buy some of them… and thought we should mention these are better options than their alternatives that we find to be worth a splurge!

1. Udi’s Gluten-Free bread (bakery)
2. Rotisserie Chicken (meat)
3. Good Food’s Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad (fridge)
4. Salmon Burgers (frozen)
5. Almond Milk: Silk (in the fridge) and Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla (shelf-stable)
6. Skinny Pop Popcorn (big bag or snack bags)
7. Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking Mix (pantry)
8. Bark Thins Fair-Trade Chocolate Almond Coconut Bark (snacks)
9. Annie’s Bunny Fruit Snacks (snacks)
10. Kirkland Brand Cashew Clusters (snacks)

Don’t have a Costco near you?

Don’t fret – LOTS of these items can be found online, our resources page offers details on where to find a number of these items, and includes links and even coupons!

Not yet a Costco member?!? Well, we have one lucky winner covered there too!

To celebrate this very wonderful news our publisher, Victory Belt, has partnered with us to sponsor a giveaway where one lucky winner will win a Costco Membership or Gift Card ($55 value) and one copy of each of our books, Eat Like a Dinosaur, Beyond Bacon and Real Life Paleo. So if you aren’t yet a member that gift card will cover your cost to join, and if you are already member – enjoy some of your purchases on us!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We’ll pick and announce the winner in one week – we will both announce the name on this post and email the individual drawn! 

Remember Matt’s rules of giveaways!

1. Please use a valid email address when entering. I cannot use my dowsing rods to attempt to find which bytes form your contact address!
2. Please follow all the rules so I don’t get frustrated by invalid entries. Nothing makes more of a sad panda than picking a winner who I have to disqualify.
3. Please respond within 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner! I have a certain set of skills that make me a nightmare to people who don’t respond: the ability to randomly draw again.
4. Please be a US resident. My mana is too low to cast a Teleportation Spell!

 

Last but not least – download our PRINTABLE SHOPPING LIST of all of our recommendations —> HERE!