stocking up at Costco (lyn)

WARNING:

This post should only be read if you are looking for suggestions about what to buy at Costco, and/or how to cook the perfect steak.  Otherwise, you are at risk for being very bored.

When I go to Costco now, my cart is filled with basically three types of foods:  the one’s I like to snack on;  the ones Alexander will eat but that I will not;  and the ones for both of us.  

Most of my purchases for Alexander are to:  appease his appetite for a pre-dinner meal after school;  have something easy I can make him if I am in a hurry;  or to have a response when he laments, “We don’t have anything good to eat now that you are on Weight Watchers.”

Costco is an odd place.  I became a member with Zelia just two years ago, and I really like going there, though I don’t go all that often.  In fact, my last trip there was in late February.   What is strange to me is that I hate grocery shopping, but somehow Costco fits into a category of its own, and I almost look forward to my trips there.  (Is this indicative of how exciting my life has become?).    Each Costco visit ends up being a three hour adventure--20 minutes to get there, one hour to shop, 30 minutes to check out and pack up the car, 20 minutes home, 10 minutes to unpack the car and get everything upstairs to my apartment, and then another 40 minutes breaking down the big frozen boxes into individually wrapped and freezer-bagged plastic.  By the time I’m done repacking, my freezer is so full that a small Weight Watchers ice cream bar won't even fit into it.

So here’s a little breakdown of the food I purchased today.

FOR ME

·    Baby Bell single buttons of light cheese

·    Mango peach salsa

·    Microwavable popcorn-94% fat-free

FOR ALEXANDER

·    Fresh mozzarella

·    Grated granna padano cheese (for the pasta he likes)

·    Frozen angus steak cheeseburgers (my mother says they are great, despite their very unimpressive nutritional content)

·    Frozen pizza bagels (72 in a box;  Alexander snacks on 12 at a time, and, he's thin)

·    Perdue frozen popcorn chicken (I love this, but don’t eat it now)

·    Spinach and mozzarella ravioli (I might have a small serving, but this is mostly for Alexander;  I’ve previously calculated about a point per ravioli)

·    4 boxes of various kinds of dry pasta (I never eat pasta anymore but Alexander loves it)

BOTH

·    Cherry tomatoes (although I’ll probably eat most of them)

·    Mini-peppers (red, yellow, orange, fortunately no green)

·    Trident Pacific frozen salmon burgers (assuming Alexander will try these-I’ve never had them but they sound, not necessarily look, good)

·    Frozen cocktail shrimp, 21-25 count (easy, low-points, and make a great appetizer)

·    Fresh shrimp cocktail (only $10 and  takes at least  two days, two people, to finish)

·    4 prime ribeye steaks (put in fry pan, a little oil, kosher salt and pepper on each side, 4 minutes or less per side to caramelize, then put in oven and bake at 350 from 2-8 minutes, depending on size and how you like your steak)

·    Chicken tikka marsala (a mild Indian entrée that Zelia recommends;  Indian is usually my least favorite food but this sounds good)

I think I have enough food now to keep us both satisfied for a while.