My Top 5 Costco Obsessions

God don't you just love buying bulk? I'm not talking toilet paper and bleach (though those do prove useful). I am talking high-quality, delicious food! Costco is seemingly the premium club warehouse. Average incomes of club members skew higher than its competitors and quality and customer satisfaction are pillars of the brand. Costco is not paying me for this post. I had to do a large amount of research on the retailer when it was relevant to a large case we had at the firm last year. And it only made me love it more!

Costco in Paradise

 I love the discount on magazines. P and I linger around the magazine stand, deciding which ones to add to our stack. We even made a point to stop at the Costco on Kauai before our flight back home to stock up. This is where our relationship with Costco has taken us.

The produce is probably my favorite part, and we buy a lot of it there. 80% of our cart ends up being produce, and I have been known to pop in the store when I only need berries or greens. It's just not the same elsewhere. There have been a few staples in our cart the past few weeks, and I MUST rave about them. We consistently enjoy these yummy treats and restock immediately upon running out.

1. Power Greens

I know I've pumped these up before, but we can't get enough! It is a delicious salad mix, an excellent add-in to smoothies, a veggie addition to soup, and a wonderful pizza or pasta topper. And since I try to find any opportunity to add some greens, we usually go through a tub a week. After eating a lot of mixed greens, I found myself graduating to the darker, more bitter leaves. I think it adds another layer of flavor to an otherwise mainstream dish. Oh yeah... it's also really good for you.

2. Pesto

Holy Moly. This stuff is good. I love a good homemade pesto, but (a) I do not live in a warm climate where basil abounds everywhere, (b) I am not made of money and cannot buy 4 giant tubs of basil at Whole Foods for $6.99 a pop, and (c) my homemade concoctions seem to turn brown within hours of leaving my food processor. Kirkland Pesto for the win! It is perfectly balanced; not too oily, not too nutty, not too cheesy. And it goes with everything. Everything. I put it on caprese paninis, finish off soups with it, make a yummy salad dressing with it, throw it on pizza crust or baguette. If I knew of this stuff at the time, I probably would have made it my prom date.

3. PopChips Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips

I can't even deal with these. I am a PopChips fanatic. They got me through law school. No matter how many times I overdosed on barbecue PopChips after coming home from class and swore them off, I would return the next day only to overindulge again. I'm pretty sure my textbooks were filled with the barbecue residue (you're welcome, current students buying used!). I only found out about these nacho cheese tortilla chips last month, and I am addicted. It's great that you can buy a bazillion at once, because that's how many I ate. These are now my go-to's in that insufferable period between getting home from the gym and eating dinner. I'm pretty sure the residue of these chips now end up on whatever I serve P for dinner. He would be so lucky; to have everything he eats nacho cheese-flavored.

4. Cuties Juice.

Tangerine juice > Orange juice. Sourced from those adorable little citrus fruits, this juice is beyond. It tastes exactly like the fruit, except you don't have to go through the motions of peeling a million little oranges to curb your craving. I am an advocate for diluting juice with sparkling water, and this juice receives extra credit points for pairing with LaCroix Pamplemousse so well. 

5. Dark Chocolate Pretzel Crisps.

Those delicious pretzel chips now come in dessert form. And I am all for that. Add that to the fact that I inherited my grandmother's preference for dark chocolate over any other, and I am one happy puppy. You know something is good when you think the Costco pack isn't big enough to curb your craving. Buy two.