It’s going to happen. You’re going to spend a Sunday traveling, at a social event, or just on your couch with no motivation to grocery shop and cook. It happens to all of us. But, having no food in the fridge at the start of the workweek is a surefire way to make the upcoming week super stressful. You’ll probably rely on convenience foods for lunch and spend double the money, and then come home from work with an hour of cooking/cleaning time, leaving you with no time to relax before bedtime.

Not to worry though, if you commit to a quick Costco trip with this guide, you’ll be set for the week. Best part? It’ll require little to no cooking or cleaning on your part.

WHAT DO WE NEED?

This is how we break it down: Protein, Starch, Veggie, Snacks.

WHAT’S THE GAME PLAN?

The easiest way to tackle this is to pick up two different kinds of proteins, two starches, two veggies, and then as many snacks as your heart desires. Let’s say you get:

Protein: Sliced Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin / Carmelized Onion Chicken Burgers
Starch: Skillet Gnocchi / Brown Basmati Rice
Veggie: Superfood Veggie Cakes / Stir-Fry Vegetable Blend

Then, lunch becomes chicken burgers, brown basmati rice, and veggie cakes. Dinner becomes sirloin, gnocchi, and stir-fry vegetables. Lots of these foods will have some added fats already but if you need more fats, you can top your meal with olive oil, nuts, and avocado. Or, you can opt for fat-heavy snacks (see below).

Simple right?

PROTEIN

It can be hard to find protein that requires no prep but Costco has a decent amount of options. Some include:

  • Roast Half Duck with Orange Sauce | Maple Leaf Farm (refrigerated)
  • Caramelized Onion with Aged White Cheddar Chicken Burgers | Burgers by AmyLu (refrigerated)
  • Chicken Andouille Sausage | Sausages by AmyLu (refrigerated)
  • Seasoned Rotisserie Chicken | Kirkland (prepared)
  • Teriyaki + Pineapple Chicken Meatballs | Chef Bruce Aidells (refrigerated)
  • Chicken Tikka Masala | Sukhi’s (refrigerated)
  • Chicken Coconut Curry | Sukhi’s (refrigerated)
  • Sliced Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin | Cuisine Solutions (refrigerated)
  • Beef Pot Roast | Ruprecht’s (refridgerated)
  • Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon | Kirkland Signature (frozen)
  • Marinated Wild Alaskan Salmon | Morey’s (frozen)
  • Wild Caught Mahi-Mahi | Kirkland Signature (frozen)
  • Panko Breaded Chicken Breast Tenderloins | Tyson (frozen)

STARCH

  • Skillet Gnocchi Kit | Rana (refrigerated)
  • Spinach + Cheese Ravioli | Rana (refrigerated)
  • Pierogi Potato + Cheese | Kasia’s (refrigerated)
  • Vegetable Yakisoba| Ajinomoto (frozen)
  • Brown Basmati Rice | Seeds of Change (aisle)
  • Hawaiian Sweet Rolls | King’s (bakery)
  • Organic Whole Grain Bread | Dave’s (bakery)
  • Flour Tortillas | Mission (bakery)

VEGGIES

  • Organic Creamy Tomato Basil Soup | Harry’s (refrigerated)
  • Organic Cooked Beets | Love Beets (refrigerated)
  • Superfood Veggie Cakes | Veggies Made Great (Garden Lites)
  • Organic Broccoli Florets | Tropicland (frozen)
  • Organic Mixed Vegetables | Kirkland Signature (frozen)
  • Organic Riced Cauliflower | Tropicland (frozen)
  • Stir-Fry Vegetable Blend | Kirkland Signature (frozen)
  • Fine French Beans | New World Farms (frozen)

SNACKS

  • Protein-dominant:
    • Cookies ‘n’ Cream Protein Powder | Combat (aisle)
    • Fire-Grilled Pork Jerky | Golden Island (aisle)
    • Memphis BBQ Chicken Sticks | Highland Farms (aisle)
    • Premium Steak Strips | Lorissa’s Kitchen (aisle)
    • Mini Beef Sticks | Country Archer (aisle)
  • Carb-dominant:
    • Organic Chickpeas | The Good Bean (aisle)
    • Organic Sweet Potato Crackers | RW Garcia (aisle)
    • Hummus Singles | Sabra (aisle)
    • Fruit Snacks | Welch’s (aisle)
    • Whole Dried Blueberries | Kirkland Signature (aisle)
    • Parmesean Garlic + Herb Pita Chips | Stacy’s (aisle)
  • Fat-dominant:
    • Coconut Clusters | innofoods (aisle)
    • Cashew Clusters | Kirkland Signature (aisle)
    • Pumpkin Seed Bar | Health Warrior (aisle)

Mixed-macros dominant:

    • Biscuits with Almond Butter | Nature Valley (aisle)
    • Bite-sized Salami + Provolone Cheese | Busseto Foods / California Snackin’ (refrigerated)
    • Less Sugar Greek Yogurt | Chobani (refrigerated)
    • Trail Mix | Kirkland Signature (aisle)

BONUS! BREAKFAST FINDS.

  • Sous-Vide Egg Bites | Cuisine Solutions (refrigerated)
  • Protein-Packed Power Waffles | Kodiak Cakes (frozen)
  • Organic Super Smoothie Packs | Clovis Farms (frozen)
  • English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches | Jimmy Dean (frozen)

As you can see, there are tons of options, all of which can be mixed and matched so that your meal prep game is always fun and new. This list is by no means exhaustive so we encourage you to poke around and find options that work best for your macro prescription and your taste buds but this guide is a great starting point in having meal prep done without actually having to meal prep.

Have questions or want to work one-on-one with a coach? Schedule a free introductory call here.

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