There are so many AMAZING things at Costco, and I’m sure we all have our favorite Costco pantry staples. It’s definitely one of the best stores. And when it comes to macro-counting, you can find some GREAT items to make macro-counting that much easier. So if you’re new to macro-counting or just want to mix things up from your usual, here are my 5 macro-friendly Costco favorites.
#1 Vacuum-sealed Rotisserie Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken is a staple at my house. Simply buy the vacuum-sealed bags of rotisserie chicken and store it in your freezer until you need it. It’s great to keep on hand for throwing into soups, pasta, skillets, chicken salads, etc.
If I’m using it in a recipe (I never want to eat it plain), I like to shred and chop it a bit, removing any gross parts. Then, I heat a pan super hot, season the chicken with a good pinch of kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and throw it in the pan undisturbed for just a minute.
Then, I can use the seasoned rotisserie chicken in so many different recipes. You can find some of the recipes on the blog like this Quick and Easy Romesco Chicken Salad, Chicken Minestrone soup, and this Sweet Potato Chipotle Rotisserie Chicken Skillet. Just search “Lillie Eats and Tells Rotisserie Chicken” and you’ll get even more recipes to choose from!
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I also should probably mention that I love keeping rotisserie chicken on hand to bulk up my meals. If I need a little more protein for the day, I simply throw in some extra chicken into whatever I’m feeding my family. It’s a great way to help meet protein goals without making a million different meals for family dinners.
#2 Knudsen Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
Knudsen is my family’s FAVORITE brand of cottage cheese, and we go through a ton of it. Many people love the Good Culture brand, but we’re 100% Knudsen loyal. And while you can get Knudsen at most grocery stores, if your family loves cottage cheese as much as us, then the big tub from Costco is an easy choice.
And if you’re not so sure about cottage cheese and the little curds 👀, you can always blend it until it’s smooth. Because if you’re counting macros or just want more protein in your diet, cottage cheese is a great way to get it.
We love to use it in so many recipes. You can find my top 5 easy cottage cheese recipes here.
#3 Meat and Seafood
If you’re looking to eat a more balanced or macro-friendly diet, then having good protein is a must. And most of the time, Costco has great quality meat and seafood for an affordable price. That’s why meat and seafood are one of my macro-friendly Costco favorites.
Some of my favorites to buy from Costco are the pork, organic chicken breast, organic chicken tenderloins, frozen salmon (Atlantic or sockeye), frozen Mahi, and frozen shrimp.
For meal prep, I love to have protein or two to have on hand to use throughout the week. Some of my favorites are this Brown Sugar Spiced Pork Tenderloin or this Herby Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Tenderloin. Having a prepped protein is a key component to making macro-counting so much easier. If I had to start dinner from scratch every night, I just wouldn’t do it.
In fact, keeping prepped proteins on hand is the foundation for two of my cookbooks, LEAT and PLANNED. If you want to know more about my meal-planning and prepping process, you can read this blog post here.
Also, having frozen seafood stocked is the best. There’s nothing easier than thawing the salmon (sometimes quickly under the tap) and throwing it in the air fryer for some delicious air-fried salmon. This Hot Honey Air-Fried Salmon was one of my top recipes from the blog this year. Enjoy!
#4 Pre-Cooked Kirkland Bacon
Okay, so bacon isn’t necessarily ‘macro-friendly’ but it’s so easy to fit a piece or two in your macros every day. It’s the perfect way to make your food tastier without throwing away your fitness goals. It’s all about balance after all.
And since you’re only using a piece or two at a time, it’s so much easier to buy the pre-cooked and packaged bacon than cooking a whole pack and stinking up your kitchen. Team less mess over here.
There are so many different ways to add bacon–of course, it tastes great in just about anything. My favorite is on burgers like these Bacon Cheeseburgers with Secret Sauce or on a sandwich like these Quick and Easy Fried Egg BLTs.
Of course, you can always just buy regular bacon and it would be cheaper, but the pre-cooked bacon just saves so much time!
#5 Natural Peanut Butter for Drizzling
Peanut butter is obviously ALWAYS yummy, but the natural peanut butter from Costco is our favorite! And a totally must-stock item in my house. Again, I guess it’s not actually something I would call “macro friendly”, since it’s basically just fat. But it is definitely one of my very favorite fat sources! I know it says to keep it in the fridge, but we keep ours in the pantry to keep it perfect for drizzling— that’s the secret to being able to drizzle just a few grams on everything to add a little jazz without a ton of calories if you don’t want them.
We love to drizzle peanut butter on top of yogurt bowls, cottage cheese/fruit/rice cakes, bowls like this Macro-Friendly Vanilla Protein Smoothie Bowl or on top of something like these Overnight Protein Chocolate Oats. Yum.
If you’re counting macros, peanut butter can be sneaky and add up fast. By using the drizzly peanut butter, 5 grams can go a long way!
Macro-Friendly Costco Favorites
One other thing I love to get at Costco that I didn’t mention above is shelf-stable pre-cooked brown rice. It’s great for adding to any meal that needs a little something extra. I especially love it in this Tabouli Salad.
If you’re going to Costco this week, you can add these favorites to your grocery list so easily with my weekly meal planner. It has a specific spot to write down your entire grocery list for the week. That way you’re not in mid-meal-making chaos and discover you’re missing an important ingredient (we’ve all been there 🤦♀️)…
For more macro-friendly recipes, make sure to follow along on Instagram as I share what I’m eating there every day.
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.
