7 Costco Foods That Are Perfect For Meal Prepping

Meal prepping is an awesome way to save yourself time, energy, and money throughout the week. If you're looking for ways to avoid cooking every single day while still having variety in your meals, Costco is a great place to start. The warehouse is known for its bulk sizes and unbeatable prices, making it the ideal shopping center to gather what you need to set up your week for success. However, not every product you find at Costco is well-suited for meal prepping. The key is choosing foods that are versatile, store well, and can be easily mixed and matched in different recipes throughout the week so you don't get bored.

Costco has several meal prep staples that work for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, whether you're meal prepping for a crowd or just yourself. You can find an excellent mix of high-quality proteins, freezer staples, and pantry items that can be stored for a long time. What's better is that many of these items require very little effort to transform into delicious meals to enjoy throughout the week. These are some of the best meal prepping finds that Costco has to offer.

Rotisserie chicken is one of the best protein products to buy when you're meal prepping because it's so flavorful on its own that it requires no seasoning and can be added to tons of meals with little to no effort. And, it's no secret that Costco notoriously has the best grocery store rotisserie chicken on the market. For about $5, it's impressive just how much meat you can get off the chicken, and the versatility is truly endless. 

I like to shred mine up to throw into salads for some protein. You can also make a hearty chicken casserole, warm chicken soup, enchiladas, pot pie, or fresh chicken wraps. The meat is so juicy and tender that, according to customers on Reddit, you can "even just heat it up and eat it with some hot sauce, rice, and veggies" if you're not feeling inspired with your meal prep. 

Chicken is a high-quality protein, so if you're meal prepping to ensure you have some healthy options stored in the fridge, this is a great Costco purchase. I recommend shredding the chicken as soon as you get home, even if you don't plan on meal prepping right away, because it comes off easier when it's warm, and then store it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

Generally, produce is not something that I would advise buying in bulk because the shelf-life of many fresh fruits and vegetables is rather short, which unfortunately means a lot of it goes to waste. However, when it comes to meal prepping, spinach is a great item to stock up on in bulk at Costco. You can purchase a 1-pound bag of organic baby spinach for less than $7 at my local warehouse, making it easy to pack your meals with these healthy leafy greens.

You can add spinach to almost anything. It cooks down tremendously, but has tons of nutrients, including iron and magnesium, as well as antioxidants, which help protect you from diseases. I like to throw spinach in my pasta dishes, morning eggs, or smoothies for a nice energy boost at any time of day. If you struggle with your greens turning brown after sitting in your fridge for a couple of days, consider prepping your meals ahead of time and then cooking and incorporating the spinach on the day you plan to eat it.

Eggs are an incredibly versatile and healthy protein source and they prep extremely well. Your options for eggs do not stop and start with hard-boiled, scrambled, or fried. There are several egg meal preps that I have on rotation to get my days started right. I like to make different variations of egg bites, bakes, or casseroles with different varieties of vegetables, cheeses, and meats. One of my favorite egg bite recipes involves turkey bacon, red peppers, onions, cottage cheese for extra protein, and shredded cheese. The bites are an awesome meal prep recipe because they are an easy grab-and-go if you're running out the door in the morning, and you can customize them with whatever ingredients you like. Sub out turkey bacon for breakfast sausage or peppers for spinach.

If you're planning on prepping egg recipes, it's a good idea to get your eggs at Costco, not only because you can get them in large batches, but they're also incredibly affordable. While prices vary depending on availability and location, Costco almost always beats out other grocery store prices. For instance, a dozen cage-free large white eggs from my local Ralph's costs $4.39, while the Kirkland Signature 24-pack of large white eggs costs $4.76, so the value is almost double when you buy at the warehouse.

The WestEnd Cuisine grilled chicken skewers come precooked and in a pack of 14, making them an excellent chicken product to purchase for meal prepping. I like to heat these up and add them to salads, Mediterranean style bowls, or even eat on their own over rice and veggies. According to one food reviewer online, these chicken skewers are the second best chicken product to score at Costco, second only to the timeless favorite rotisserie chicken, that is. She explains that the skewers are excellent for meal prepping because they're so versatile and you can make several different variations of chicken recipes throughout the week.

Create simple Mediterranean-style platters by adding the chicken, garlic sauce or tzatziki, onions, and cucumbers to a piece of naan. Pro tip: Avoid this common meal prep mistake by waiting to add the sauce until you're ready to eat so your meal doesn't get soggy. One thing I love about the chicken is that they can be easily removed from the skewer and cut into bite-sized pieces. Plus, you're getting 24 grams of protein per serving so this hearty, healthy meal prep ingredient is well worth the purchase.

Tuna is one of the best fish protein sources you can buy and it's full of important nutrients, like potassium, selenium, iron, and Vitamin B. Not to mention, like many fish, tuna is high in omega-3 fatty acids which help with muscle soreness, joint pain, and inflammation. So whether you're an athlete looking for a good recovery meal or just simply want more high-protein foods in your diet, tuna is the way to go.

Costco's canned albacore tuna is high quality, with good texture, and taste in comparison to many of the other varieties I've tried. It's flake-style and doesn't come out of the can mushy. Not to mention, the Kirkland Signature product comes at an excellent value and almost always beats the other grocery store prices. For instance, the Costco solid Albacore canned tuna comes in a package of 8 (7-ounce) cans and the price breaks down to about 34 cents per ounce, while the Vons Bumble Bee solid Albacore tuna costs about 40 cents per ounce.

Frozen berries are an excellent staple to keep in your freezer if you like to prepare meals ahead of time because they last so much longer than fresh produce and can be used in a variety of meals to add some complex carbohydrates, antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins to your daily diet. Costco's Kirkland Signature three berry blend is one of its most popular products among shoppers, who appreciate the flavorful taste as well as the fact that the berries don't clump together. The 4-pound bag is a blend of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries and has no added sugars or preservatives. The brand behind the three berry blend is Townsend Farms, which is known for its sustainable farming practices.

I like to make protein smoothies with them by combining a scoop of the berries with Greek yogurt, milk, and protein powder. Another great way to incorporate these into meal preps is to add them on top of overnight oats. The frozen berries are firmer compared to fresh berries, which sometimes become mushy in my overnight oat recipes. But, you can also throw these into your yogurt bowls or even bake with them, making them one of the best Costco freezer finds for less than $15.

Greek yogurt has gained lots of popularity in the health and fitness world because of its exceptional nutritional properties. Per Jillian Wanik, RD, a registered dietician with Hartford Healthcare, "Greek yogurt is rich in protein, calcium, probiotics, and other nutrients that support overall health — and it's incredibly versatile." And, versatility is key when it comes to prepping meals that you'll actually look forward to eating. There are several simple ways to sweeten your plain Greek yogurt to eat on its own, or it can be added to tons of different meals.

Buying in bulk at Costco tends to be a better deal than purchasing at the regular grocery store, and store-bought Greek yogurt is safe to sit in the fridge longer than regular because its lower moisture content gives it a longer shelf-life. For breakfast, build a heart-healthy yogurt bowl, smoothie, or overnight oats. For lunch or dinner, create a creamy dip for veggies and crackers, add it to your pasta sauce to thicken it, or use it as a replacement for sour cream on your tacos or burrito bowl. You can even take your canned soup up a notch by adding Greek yogurt.