Costco Meal Plan for One Month from the stove

Ever wish you could make your groceries last longer? This Costco Meal Plan and grocery list will help you make enough dinners for a family of four for one month for under $250!

2014 GMC Acadia car review — an old pic of a past Costco trip when the kids were little

It used to drive me crazy how quickly we would go through food in our house. Setting aside the food that We need for the recipes We develop for this blog and for clients, our family of four still goes through a LOT of food on our own. And we go through the food WAY too quickly!

If you can relate, then this blog post is for you. Or if you simply want some inspiration, motivation, and ideas on how to make your food last longer and save money, this blog post is for you.

In this post, you'll learn:

Why meal planning is so important

Now, during these odd and uncertain times, meal planning is more important than ever.

Meal planning can help you save money by making your food last longer.
It can help you feed your family for a long time without constantly going to the store.
Meal planning can take the stress out of everyday cooking so you can enjoy that time with your family.

A few years ago, We started learning how to shop and cook smarter. We learned how to shop once and eat for a week. Then, We learned how to shop once and eat for a month. We simply go to the store for fill-in items; the one big shopping trip

Meal planning is a habit that takes practice

The more We talk with fellow mom and dads, the more We realize this dilemma is more about time than money. Learning to shop for smarter meal planning takes practice to become a habit.

And admittedly, We do get tired of it sometimes that We simply give in and get pizza. But listen: that's a-okay. We think it's important, especially when times are challenging, to give ourselves grace. We do the best we can with what we have.

Even with the family's busy schedule, we try to have a homemade dinner together at the table five nights a week. We love this time. It's family magic to this mama.

Because We'm fairly high risk right now, we're actually eating every meal at home. That's three meals a day, together, at the dining table. We love it! But it also requires a LOT more planning.

Costco meal plan recipes

Once a quarter, We do a big Costco run. Although admittedly, this past year We've gone more like once a month.

Then We make a trip once a week for fill-in items to the neighborhood grocery store or farmer's market. Or, better yet, hit the farms down the street when they are open for the season.

The list and recipes for the Costco meal plan below are what We use in general during normal times. However, these are not normal times. And this meal plan has already been helpful simply a few days into home quarantine!

Costco grocery list

Most of us have a big box bulk store like Costco or Sam's Club in our towns. Here's a look at the groceries We can buy at the local Costco for $242.70. Note: prices vary by location and do not include tax because we don't have sales tax in Oregon.

Fruit & veggies

6 lbs apples ($8.99)
6 mixed (red, orange, yellow) bell peppers ($5.89)
5 pounds of lemons ($6.99)
10 pounds of carrots ($6.99)
2.5 lbs celery stalks ($4.99)
10 lbs onion ($5.49)
15 pounds of potatoes ($4.99)

Frozen foods

6lbs frozen strawberries ($10.89)
4.4 lbs frozen broccoli ($8.99)
6 lb bag of frozen Italian-style meatballs ($16.99)

Canned goods & dry goods

12 cans of chicken stock ($7.49)
48 oz minced garlic ($5.49)
8 cans of black beans ($7.99)
8 cans of diced tomatoes ($6.99)
6 cans of coconut milk ($6.99)
6 lbs rice ($10.89)
4.5 lbs quinoa ($16.49)

Meat

5 pounds of chicken thighs ($3.99/lb = $19.95)
2 whole 3-lb chickens ($4.99 each)
6 pounds of ground turkey ($2.99 lb = $17.94)
6 lbs pork chops ($15.41)
4 pounds of bacon ($15.39)
2 lbs shrimp ($20.99)

Dairy

block of cheddar cheese ($8.49)

The savings on meat alone is one of the main reasons We shop at the big box store. We'm still researching local farms to see if they can give me this much meat for this cheap — and this much variety of meat too, not simply one kind. But for now, We'm gonna stick with Costco.

Other grocery items

This Costco meal plan of course doesn't include every single little item in every one of these recipes. That's because We'm not including items We usually already have on hand and do not normally buy at Costco.

Certain items, like pasta, eggs, salt, pepper, and the dairy-free milks and cheeses. These are items We will pick up each week from our local grocery store.

Fresh herbs can take a dish from okay to amazing, so herbs that We don't grow in the garden We will pick up from the store as needed. We also go through a lot of bananas and salad, so We buy those items fresh each week. We've never found pasta or eggs that We like at Costco, so We buy those locally.

So together with the food We buy at Costco and these other fill-in items, We'm able to make the following recipes that can essentially feed the family of four for one month!

The top meal prep tips

The trick to ensuring we actually USE all of the food as effectively as possible is to prep as much as possible right away. As soon as We get home from buying groceries, We put the basics away and start prepping.

costco meal prep plan: chopped carrots and celery

Chop carrots, celery, and onions for various uses. We always have bags full of mirepoix – chopped carrots, celery, and onions – in the freezer. This is the starter base for so many soups, sauces, stir-fries, and more. You can see in the photo above that We chop some of these vegetables larger for roasts and chopped finer for classic mirepoix prep.

Divide the meat into amounts per meal. For chicken thighs, chicken breasts, and ground turkey, this is pretty simple. Those items are usually already divided into packaging per pound. Depending on what you are cooking, you may want to divide the meat into half-pound freezer bags.

whole lemons — a 5lb bag of lemons from Costco

Slice and cut citrus into wedges. We use lemons every single day – in the water, for cooking and baking – and there's no way that even We would go through 5 pounds of lemons in a month. That's a lot of lemons! So We slice a few lemons and cut a few more into wedges. We freeze those for later.

Costco Meal Plan Recipes

So what do We make with all of this food from Costco?

Here's a look at a general idea of what We would make using the ingredients listed above. These meals would cover the family of four for one month. And for less than $250, plus the cost of odds and ends from the weekly trip to the local grocery store.

Ground turkey recipes

Tri-Pepper Turkey Pasta full photo in skillet — Tri-Pepper Turkey Pasta

Teriyaki Turkey Burger With Pineapple Asian Slaw — Tri-Pepper Turkey Pasta

turkey meatloaf
Tri-Pepper Turkey Pasta
Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Simple Lasagna Soup
Pressure-cooker Chili
spaghetti bolognese
taco meat for tacos (1 dinner), Taco Pasta (1 dinner), and breakfast scramble or breakfast hash

Chicken recipes

Simple Lemon Herb Roast Chicken with roasted vegetables, recipe on UrbanBlissLife.com — Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Pork recipes

Simple weeknight meal: Cider-glazed pork chops recipe on UrbanBlissLife.com — Apple Cider Pork Chops

Thai Peanut Curry asian dinner — Apple Cider Pork Chops

Recipes using frozen meatballs

Honey Bourbon Meatballs recipe | UrbanBlissLife.com — Pressure-cooker Swedish Meatballs

Bacon Recipes

Pasta with Turmeric, Bacon, and Peas is a hearty lunch or dinner dish full of flavor! Recipe on UrbanBlissLife.com — Filipino Bacon Fried Rice

Bacon Fried Rice
Fettuccine with Bacon and Peas – or go for this version with turmeric!
Seafood Bacon Chowder

Seafood recipes

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Shrimp Lo Mein
Shrimp Rolls

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
Shrimp Lo Mein
Shrimp Rolls

Vegetarian and vegan recipes

Pressure-cooker Lentil Soup
Fiesta Potato Smashers

Breakfast recipes

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Breakfast Hash

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Muffins (with sneaky veggies!)
Breakfast Hash – the recipe includes butternut squash but We only include that when it's in season.

Dessert recipes

Chewy Apple Granola Bars recipe on http://UrbanBlissLife.com — Apple Pie Bars

Notes on this Costco meal plan

So, with one Costco shopping trip plus what we already have on hand, We can feed the family of four a whole month's worth of dinners for under $250. We usually round out dinner with fruit and a salad or cut veggies.

With the recipes listed above, we often end up having leftovers. So We will freeze half for a second meal to enjoy in the future. This helps us stretch our dollar – and our food supply! – even further!

The favorite meal prep tools

FoodSaver Food Preservation System
Souper Cubes
Refrigerator, Freezer, and Microwave safe containers

More Meal Prep and Planning Tips and Recipes

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This post was originally published May 5, 2010. It was updated March 19, 2020 with all new photos, updated information, and more in-depth meal prep information and recipes.