One Month of Costco Dinners for Less Than $300
Last week, I posted this photo on Instagram…
…and got a ton of emails and messages about how I shop at Costco to meal plan for the month! So, here’s the blog post with all the answers.
First, let me just tell you that I don’t do this every month. I actually went to Costco with just a few things on my list last week, but as I put my items in the cart, I realized that if I got just a few more things, I’d be able to make a whole lot more meals. So, I added those extra items in as I thought about them, and couldn’t wait to get home and make a list of everything I could make from what I’d bought! It ended up being about 5 weeks worth of dinners. So fun, right??
A couple of notes…
- This is a really loose meal plan. I try to make easy meals that I can throw together based on what I already have in the pantry – I usually keep olive oil, some kind of rice, seasonings, and pasta in the pantry, so this list assumes that you’ve got those staples too.
- Don’t feel like you have to stick to the ingredients exactly. Swap things out based on what YOU have, and tweak as needed. My hope is just that this list serves as an easy starting place for you, or gives you a few new dinner ideas!
- It’s worth noting that a deep freezer is key here. I really couldn’t do most of this without our chest freezer that we keep in the garage. We don’t have a huge one, but even the small size gives me the extra space I need to be able to prep and stock up for a month’s worth of meals.
- My lunches are mainly leftovers. This way, we make sure we don’t waste food, and I don’t have to make a new lunch every day. Win win! So really, the only other meal I need to worry about is breakfast, and for the most part, we have eggs and toast.
- The only other place I really shop is Trader Joe’s. You’ll see a few things on the grocery list that I get from TJ’s, but you could find these at any grocery store, for the most part. They are just things I’m only using for 1-2 meals (or things that I like better at TJ’s because they have more simple ingredients), so I didn’t want to buy them in bulk.
A few things I always do…
- I always start by thinking about the meat. Meat at Costco comes in bulk, so I want to know that I can use each purchase for a few different meals. I always buy the ground turkey, chicken thighs, meatballs, and chicken apple sausage. We eat these things all the time, in quite a few different ways. And with the bulk packs, I can make them last for a while.
- I only buy produce that I know we can eat right away, or that I can freeze. Otherwise it goes bad, and that’s a waste of money.
- I always cook up the turkey as soon as I get home. I used to wait on this, and that always ended badly. Either I forgot about it and it went bad before I could use it, or I froze it and ended up with a full block of turkey to defrost, which never worked well. So now, I cook it all up as soon as I get home, then I freeze it in ziploc bags. It’s SO MUCH EASIER to defrost when it’s already cooked, and super easy to just add to soups, or bakes, or whatever. This is key.
- I always cut apart the 6-packs of chicken thighs, because if you freeze them while they are still attached, they are really hard to separate (all the meat folds in on itself and freezes into place). So cutting them apart before freezing just makes things easier.
- I chop up the squash to freeze it too, and any other produce that comes in bulk that I know I’ll need later in the month.
- I always freeze the extra bread & buns. They freeze well and that way I can buy them in bulk, for cheaper than I could at the grocery store.
Alright! Are you ready? Let’s get started!! 31 dinners from Costco, all ready for you!
One Month of Costco Dinners:
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- Day 1: Sausage Bake with French Bread
- This is a favorite at our house! Chop up one package (5 links) of chicken apple sausage, 3 bell peppers, & 2 squash. Toss in olive oil, garlic powder, salt, & pepper. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with buttered french bread!
- Day 2: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Peas
- This ravioli comes in two-packs at our Costco. The type of ravioli always depends on the season – this is what’s in stock at our store now, but you can really choose whatever kind your store has. The giant bag of frozen peas is something we’ll use a bunch throughout the month.
- Day 3: Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
- We grill up burgers on brioche buns weekly. Easy and yummy dinner! The sweet potato fries are frozen, from Trader Joe’s. They are the BEST, and they are about as natural as these come, pre-made. We eat these regularly too.
- Day 4: Tortilla Soup with Homemade Chips
- I use this recipe as a base, but I leave out the bay leaf, used diced tomatoes instead of whole peeled, and use green enchilada sauce instead of red, since that’s what I usually have on hand. It’s AMAZING. I could eat this everyday. I always fry up some homemade chips using corn tortillas.
- Day 5: Baked Chicken with Roasted Asparagus
- This is another favorite at our house. Chicken thighs, tossed in olive oil & Lawry’s seasoning (or your favorite seasoning), and baked at 350 for 40 minutes. Saute the asparagus in some butter and garlic and you’re good to go.
- Day 6: Pesto Pasta Bake with French Bread
- My Pesto Pasta Bake recipe is here. I use one of the packs of ground turkey for this. It’s super yummy!
- Day 7: Tacos with Homemade Chips & Guacamole
- I use another pack of the ground turkey for this, and the corn tortillas for tacos and for chips. We also love Costco’s Wholly Guacamole!
- Day 8: Leftovers
- Day 9: Sloppy Joe’s with Sweet Potato Fries
- Here’s another pack of ground turkey, with some sloppy joe’s seasoning. And another bag of TJ’s Sweet Potato Fries.
- Day 10: Spaghetti & Meatballs
- Easy peasy. Just cook up a few meatballs with the pasta and then toss with sauce. YUMMY.
- Day 11: Chicken Noodle Soup
- I use this recipe as a base, but instead of all the chopped veggies, I add a couple handfuls of the frozen mixed veggies from Costco.
- Day 12: Alfredo Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Salad
- I usually cook up some more rotini pasta, add a jar of alfredo, and then add in some diced chicken apple sausage that I’ve cooked up in a skillet on the side. An easy salad goes great with this meal!
- Day 13: BBQ Meatballs with Zucchini Fries
- Coat some meatballs in BBQ sauce, cook for 20 minutes at 350. As a side, I’ll toss some of the zucchini squash (that I’ve already cut up and frozen) in some olive oil and seasoned salt, and roast those up too.
- Day 14: Bacon Carbonara Ravioli with Peas
- Again, this ravioli comes in two-packs at our Costco. The type of ravioli always depends on the season – this is what’s in stock at our store now, but you can really choose whatever kind your store has. And, more peas from the giant bag of frozen peas.
- Day 15: Leftovers
- Day 16: Baked Chicken with Peas
- Same as Day 5!
- Day 17: Breakfast for Dinner – Pancakes, Bacon & Eggs
- We love the Applewood Smoked Bacon from Costco, and always have eggs & pancake supplies on hand. This is a cheap and easy dinner that everyone will eat!
- Day 18: Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
- Yep, again.
- Day 19: Marinated Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
- My favorite way to make potatoes is to toss them in olive oil, garlic powder, and a little salt, and add a few sprigs of rosemary into the pan. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes, or until crispy. For the chicken, I just let it marinate in whatever I’ve got in the pantry that day, and then cook at 350 for 40 minutes.
- Day 20: Turkey Chili with Homemake Chips
- I use my chicken chili recipe here, and just substitute the ground turkey for the ground chicken. This is where I end up using a lot of those cans of diced tomatoes!!
- Day 21: BBQ Meatballs with Sweet Potato Fries
- Just like day 13!
- Day 22: Leftovers
- Day 23: Baked Chicken with Mixed Veggies
- See? I told you we liked this one.
- Day 24: Butternut Squash Ravioli with Peas
- This will be the last pack of this type of ravioli.
- Day 25: Tacos with Homemade Chips & Guacamole
- See day 7.
- Day 26: Spaghetti & Meatballs
- And day 10.
- Day 27: Bacon Carbonara Ravioli with Peas
- And now we’re out of this kind of ravioli too!
- Day 28: Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries
- Just one more time. Who doesn’t love a good burger??
- Day 27: Leftovers
- Day 28: Meatballs with Roasted Squash
- Again, using the squash that I chopped and froze, and baking the meatballs in some kind of BBQ sauce.
- Day 29: Sausage Bake with French Bread
- Same as Day 1!
- Day 30: Breakfast for Dinner – French Toast & Bacon
- Another easy peasy dinner that everyone will eat, using that bacon that we all love.
- Day 31: Baked Chicken with Mixed Veggies
- Last time. I promise. Somehow, though, we never get tired of this one. That Lawry’s seasoning is good stuff.
And that’s it! Not as hard as you thought it would be, right?
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I hope this list has been helpful for you! I’m no expert, but this is what’s working for us this month, and I’m super excited that it all cost less than $300! We’ll have to go out and get some more milk and fresh produce for breakfasts and lunches when we’re out of what we’ve got, but other than that (and Thanksgiving Dinner!), we’re all set!
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Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.
It’s been quite a while since you posted this, but I just found it last month – it was so helpful to me! It gave me a huge kickstart on monthly meal planning and helped us stick to a budget. It was a huge win. Thank you!
I’m so glad it was helpful for you!!
Thank you for this meal plan! I am heading back to work next week (teacher!) and I was beginning to feel overwhelmed with the chaos the school year brings with my four kiddos, hubby, dinner, and after school activities. I am so glad I came across this plan. We shopped last weekend, I froze all the extra and stuck the meal plan on my fridge. The weight of change feels so much lighter!
This is so helpful! Thank you for all the work you put into this! What items do you freeze when you get home from shopping?
Mostly meat! But I prep it first, which usually means cooking it up and then putting it in ziploc bags. 🙂
good morning I am loving this meal plan for Costco. question do you add any kind of sauce to you pastas> like the butternut one
thank you
Thank you for this! I have a family of 10 so Ill have to make some adjustments. Question: So Im looking at the grocery list and not everythingI need to make all meals is on the grocery list. For example, I don’t see chicken broth on the grocery list, but needed in the meals. I don’t see chopped green chili peppers which is needed in one of the meals. How do I make sure I get everything? Thank you!
Great question! Pantry staples are not included in the shopping list, so you’ll want to make sure you have all those standard supplies stocked up! I’d simply check the recipes each week to make sure I had the things on hand. I hope you enjoy the recipes!!
This sounds so great! How do you get your kids to eat it? Mine (2&4) are so picky and have been since they were babies! I don’t cater to their whims, but I’m so tired of throwing food out because they take a bite and say yuck! The only veg my 4yo will eat is broccoli, peas and carrots, she only started eating them about 6 months ago and only when she feels she likes them this time. My 2yo hates most fruit and is on a no veg (age appropriate) kick.
I have tried meal planning before, both monthly and weekly, but it never works. We get busy, I dont feel like cooking that night or miss an ingredient and then end up shuffling meals around and then if just falls by the wayside and we’re back to “what do you want for supper?”.
I do a lot of shopping at Costco , but I won’t buy meat there because I feel there have been to many recalls in the last few years, otherwise this is a great idea!!
This is great! I have a love/hate relationship with meal planning. I really need to develop a monthly menu of sorts and work from that each month instead of recreating the wheel each time. This is a great springboard for me to do that. Love it! Thanks!
We just got a membership to Costco and LOVE those chicken and apple sausages. Even the kids like them. I think you’re right, the key to saving money anywhere, especially a bulk store, is to go in with a plan.
Do you buy the fresh or frozen hamburger patties?
Frozen! We get the big pack of lean burger patties.
I hope I’m not finding this too late to ask a question! Do you actually portion everything in to a meal (a freezer bag or aluminum casserole pan covered in foil?)? Or are you preparing food on the night it will be served?
Thanks for your comprehensive list! Either way, I think we may try this meal plan since we just started our Costco membership. My husband is a student (and veteran) so his “income” isn’t quite as much as a job…and b/c of our kids ages and stages childcare isn’t easy to come by. So I work sporadically paired with cleaning houses to supplement when his school schedule and the kids school schedule come together just right.
I do LOVE freezer cooking ahead of time, but I’ve been just preparing the meals the night of! It’s working for this season. 🙂 We store everything in our chest freezer in the garage. 🙂
Did I miss it somewhere? How many people do you feed with this meal plan?
This fed our family of 4! 🙂
We have some food issues, so not all of your meals work for us, but I can see the main idea would work at our house. Thank you for taking the time to spell it all out. We’ll give it a try! I had to subscribe to find out more! I look forward to exploring your other posts.
Okay, I’m totally inspired!!! i have to try this!!
Xoxo,
Angelle
http://www.dashingdarlin.com
Yes! Thank you so much for this! I usually do my meal planning a week at a time, and it seems like we choose from the same 10 meals. This gives me so many more options. Costco here I come!
Wow – way to make the budget stretch. I canceled my Costco membership a while ago because I ended up just throwing most of the food away because there’s just TOO MUCH of it. Maybe when I start a family… 🙂
You are SO speaking my language! Those are really the only two places I shop as well.
This is awesome. I wonder if it will translate to Sam’s club because I can’t shop at costco.
You are so organized! I stand in awe! (I love Costco, too, though I menu-plan a whole lot more casually!)
Just a hint.. cook chicken thighs at 425 for 30 minutes or chicken breasts at 450 for 25 minutes and they are juicier. (Make sure to let them rest for 5 minutes before cutting.)
Do you cover the baked chicken or cook uncovered?
Uncovered, usually 🙂
This is a fabulous post! I have a Costco membership but I always feel overwhelmed when I go (usually because I don’t have a detailed plan). Thank you for writing it all out and for your tips about the bread and ground turkey- I’ll be implementing them soon!
This is amazing. Never thought it would be possible in a store like Costco. Thank You!!!!
Kayse, I just wanted to take a minute to thank you so much for doing this! It was a real life-saver for me this week. I had to go to the store, didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to make for dinners, your list to the rescue! I just printed it off and took it with me, so nice! I have to tweak a few of the meals because of gluten and dairy issues but that was not hard to do. The tortillia soup is in my slow-cooker as I type:). If you wanted to make this a regular feature on your blog, I wouldn’t be mad:)
I don’t see the link for the Chicken Tortilla Soup. I just got home from my trip to Costco and bought what I need to make these meals! My son was so excited and I am thankful to have a list of menu choices and know that I have the ingredients on hand! Thanks for the help on the soup recipe!
I’m so sorry! I just updated the tortilla soup link!!
Is there a link to the Tortilla soup? Thanks!
I’m so sorry! I just updated the tortilla soup link!!
When you say “squash” what kind are you referring to? Thanks!
Zucchini or that yellow squash that looks like zucchini! They come in a pack of like 8 in the refrigerated section of Costco, and it’s just marked “Organic Squash”. Hope that helps!
Good Morning, Kayse!
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been praying about a way that I could encourage other bloggers who have been encouraging me. Through your ministry, posts, words, comments, and faithfulness—your life has been a blessing to mine, and I wanted others to know about you!
So, I compiled a list of those bloggers who I’ve personally found to be the MOST INSPIRATIONAL on the web.
You are ONE Of these bloggers – in my estimation!
You can find the link to the list where you are featured here: http://www.melanieredd.com/the-100-most-inspiring-christian-blogs-on-the-web/
I’ve also signed up to get your emails, and tried to follow you on your social media outlets!
I pray that God will encourage you today through these simple acts~
Melanie
What a great resource! I tend to do my shopping once a week, but now you have me contemplating a once a month run. How often do you go to the store for things like milk, eggs, etc?
This is really helpful! My husband and I have been talking lately that it’s time for us to do our grocery shopping solely at Costco (instead of making small trips to several stores all throughout the month). There are six of us now and it makes more sense money wise and time wise. I have my staples I get from Costco, but I’ve never done “for the month” shopping there. Pinning this and will use for sure. Thank you!