https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 26 Apr 2026 12:17:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1878989 Fri, 26 Sep 2014 13:57:57 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1878989@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: we just got a two pack of the pork loin's from Cosco. I did one the other night I set it in the crockpot and poured barbecue sauce over it. It came out really really well </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1878974 Fri, 26 Sep 2014 13:51:40 +0000 gingerbebe 1878974@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We buy trays of ground beef and package them into 1 pound portions and buy the frozen bags of chicken thighs since they are individually frozen. We also buy the vacuum sealed bags of rotisserie chicken meat that is already cooked and pulled off their roast birds. We also buy country style ribs or pork shoulder for pulled pork/carnitas.</p> <p>The ground beef goes into crockpots of chili, spaghetti sauce, soup or meatloaf that you can make quickly on the weekends. Taco meat is also easy.</p> <p>The frozen chicken can also get crockpotted or marinated and grilled off. The rotisserie chicken makes casseroles and pot pies a snap. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1878404 Fri, 26 Sep 2014 06:44:09 +0000 looch 1878404@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Alright, my plan for October is finished, more or less. Of course, we have to do the shop and this might change the plan if I can't get the cuts of meat I had planned on, but I am feeling confident that I can pull this off.</p> <p>I have the most ridiculous looking color coded spreadsheet to track the cut versus the meal. I've basically done fish on Sunday evening and filet mignon on Saturday evening. Chicken, pork and pizza during the week.</p> <p>I will also buy a package of the ciabatta bread rolls for sandwiches and to cut up for stuffing. I don't think our Costco has the best prices for milk, so I'll have to get that at a local store. I plan to make my own yogurt in the crockpot too, I'll try to report back how that goes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875538 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:48:51 +0000 sunny 1875538@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Costco sells frozen chicken in large bags of individually frozen breast/thigh meat. That makes it really easy to just take out what you need. For pork, I separate out the big package into smaller portion sizes and freeze it all. Makes it really easy because I can pull out 1 package and then figure out dinner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875500 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:24:05 +0000 gilmoregirl 1875500@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I don't warehouse shop on a very regular basis (every other month or so), but I do use it for certain staples. So I will pick up some things at BJ's that we go through super quickly or that we can freeze or store, and I will plan meals based on what I have in the freezer. </p> <p>So for the warehouse, I would shop first and then plan meals, if that makes sense. I typically only buy things I know I use often: chicken breast, peanut butter, cereals, whatever. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875479 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 11:07:37 +0000 Emsmems 1875479@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As far as meat goes, we do what PP have said and package it in smaller portions and freeze. </p> <p>Then, we just buy stuff we use all the time in lots of recipes. For example, we use a lot of chicken broth, canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc, so we buy those just to have "on hand". So then when we plan out meals for the week, we do a regular grocery store run for the small/single items we need, but don't have to buy as much because we already have a lot of the "staples". Does that make sense?</p> <p>I think warehouse shopping can save you money for sure, but you definitely need a place to store all the food until you use it! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875443 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 10:36:05 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 1875443@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Before starting the fresh20, I used to buy proteins in bulk at Costco, and I would meal plan for the week based on what proteins I had in the freezer. So on Saturday or Sunday I'll take all those proteins out and have them start defrosting, so they'll be thawed by the time I make them during the week. Then I'd grocery shop at a regular supermarket for the needed produce and other ingredients to complete a meal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875442 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 10:32:14 +0000 regberadaisy 1875442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: the piece I am talking about is a loin. NOT the tenderloin. It is just all pure pork loin with a fat cap. We just bought a piece and cut it up. There are no bones so you don't have to have good knife skills to break it up.<br /> At my BJ s the pork shoulder, butt, etc are all separately packaged. We can get packages of tenderloin as well. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875345 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:28:16 +0000 fairy 1875345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I found that I can't really grocery shop at a warehouse store while meal planning, and my grocery store has better prices for most produce and meat anyway lol. If I am going to be using a lot of something like spinach for the week, sometimes it makes sense to pick up a huge pack of organic spinach at BJs but when I only need 2 of something, it doesn't really make sense to buy bulk an worry about using all the extra somehow. I mostly stick to the toiletries and pantry items like oil or snacks at the bulk stores. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875343 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:22:54 +0000 jetsa 1875343@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: we also buy beef tenderloin and chop into steaks. We normally pay $90ish and get 16+ steaks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875340 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:19:16 +0000 looch 1875340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@blackbird: so wait, there is one piece, that would contain the shoulder, for pulled pork? That's interesting. I think I have to go with my husband the first time and just get over myself about the prices.</p> <p>My parents buy the huge piece of chuck (i think that's what it is) and grind their own beef. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875331 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:08:13 +0000 mrswin 1875331@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Yep the upfront cost is a lot but usually after we finish breaking everything down I will do a quick count of how many "meals" (3 portions per pack, 2 for dinner and leftovers for lunch) we got and I figure even if we spend $300 on protein as long as we are getting more than 30 meals we are making it work. Plus we usually only buy protein every 8-10 weeks, so our weekly shop is really just for any fresh produce, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875327 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:04:20 +0000 looch 1875327@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: I am used to crazy prices, I lived in Europe for a time.</p> <p>I think that's what gets me about Costco, the upfront cost just kills me, even though I logically know we're saving money in the end. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875326 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:04:04 +0000 Mamasig 1875326@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We buy almost all our food (meat, dairy, fruit, etc) at SAMs. We split up the meat when we get home into smaller packs. We don't really meal plan but just keep the basic meat we use - ground beef, steak, chicken, etc. I also but the already seasoned pork loin for nights when we don't actually feel like cooking. Just stick it in the oven. We tend to cook bigger portion so we have leftovers for lunch. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875325 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:03:08 +0000 blackbird 1875325@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah you can buy a HUGE loin at the store, and at least at Sam's, it's labeled with the different cuts. And you can slice it accordingly. THe middle's the tenderloin and the end is a rib and somethign else, I can't really remember. One end is great for pulled pork, the middle for grilling, and the other end we usually just wing. It's really a huge piece of meat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875324 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 09:02:54 +0000 mrswin 1875324@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Well I will give you numbers but keep in mind that they are crazy Canadian prices! </p> <p>We would pay close to $50 for a package of 6 8-oz fillets at Costco and I think the last time our whole tenderloin was $110 or so and I think we managed to get at least 16 steaks out of it, plus the skinny end we just slice up for pho! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875322 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:59:59 +0000 mrswin 1875322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Yep, it should be the whole loin piece and it is really easy to cut for chops yourself </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875321 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:59:47 +0000 looch 1875321@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrswin: you mean the filet mignon? We paid $30 for 4 steaks last weekend, can you give me a rough idea what you'd pay for the whole/steaks if you cut it yourself? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875319 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:58:47 +0000 looch 1875319@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: @mrswin: tell me more about the pork loin. Is this like a pork loin roast, that you slice yourself? I am fine to do this, I am no butcher, but I think I can manage slices, which would be fine to sub as boneless pork chops. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875317 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:57:41 +0000 mrswin 1875317@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I think that your list is a good start. If you buy the whole tenderloins ($$) you can portion the steaks yourself which saves you money in the long run if you compare the per pound price for precut steaks/chops with the per pound price for the whole loin. We cut 6 oz steaks and get way more for our money than the precut ones. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875314 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:54:33 +0000 mrswin 1875314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: We buy lots of protein and break it all down into separate meal portions and use a Food Saver to re-package. </p> <p>We often buy the three packs of whole chickens so we will repackage one whole one raw for some other time. Then we will cook one, shred all the meat to be used for salads or soups and then we make chicken stock with the bones. The last chicken my SO usually breaks down into quarters, marinates it and then we freeze it to do roasted another night. </p> <p>Same kind of thing if we buy pork loin. We cut the whole loin into chops and a couple of small roasts and package/freeze them. </p> <p>As for veggies we usually use as much as we can fresh and then make soup or stew with whatever is left. If you wash and cut the veggies up you can lay them out on a cookie tray and freeze them. Once they are frozen put them into gallon bags. Then you have veggies ready to go with any meal on short notice!</p> <p>If you give me an idea of some of the items you are considering we can brainstorm some options! - ETA: never mind you already did this. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875304 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:47:35 +0000 regberadaisy 1875304@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When When we buy protein we tend to buy ones we always eat the portion freeze. For example, we buy double pack of whole chickens, we'll make soup, roast chicken or rotisserie. We buy a huge thing of pork loin and portion that for four meals. A roast, loins which we may sear, grill or stuff. The tender end of it we portion for stir fry. Then usually there's another roast left. </p> <p>We'll also get ground turkey. Beyond that we'll buy meats when they're red circled because it's so cheap. Otherwise we'll buy when we have a specific meal in mind then freeze what we don't cook. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875300 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:42:37 +0000 Bao 1875300@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We buy frozen ground beef, cut it into 1lb portions and freeze in freezer bags. We also buy the big bag of chicken. We don't really meal plan when we shop. But having chicken and beef on hand I can do so many casseroles, soups, tacos, fajitas, burgers, or grilled/baked chicken etc. We buy some of their pre-made casseroles, frozen pizza, bacon, sausage and canned goods too so I can make more meals from that stuff. Basically any dry good or something I can throw in my deep freezer is safe not to meal plan around because it's good for several months, if not longer. I also buy shredded cheese in bulk and freeze that. </p> <p>If you really want to meal plan search recipes with that main ingredient and go from there. I find I still have to shop at a regular grocery store for smaller portioned things 1-2 times a month and then Sam's club once a month so we only shop a total of 2-3 times a month and I love it! Good luck! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875296 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:40:17 +0000 looch 1875296@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I guess I have to figure it out as I go along, the first month probably isn't going to be the best in terms of execution, I suppose. Part of my problem is I don't cook during the week, so I need to pull out a frozen meal the night before. I also hate repeats!</p> <p>I have a food vac, we just recently started using it again, I agree, it's totally necessary. </p> <p>So what do you think of this so far, would it work?</p> <p>Shopping list:<br /> 1 package of chicken breast: for chicken pot pie, santa fe chicken, maple apple chicken<br /> 1 package boneless pork chops (not sure if they even carry boneless), for pork saltimboca, mustard apricot chops, pork chop stuffing bake<br /> 1 package of filet mignon steaks; for grilling x2<br /> 1 package salmon filet: for wasabi salmon, salmon pasta, lemon butter salmon<br /> 1 pork shoulder: for pulled pork sandwiches, pasta sauce<br /> 2 packages pizza dough, for 4 Friday pizza nights </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875292 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:37:48 +0000 TemperanceBrennan 1875292@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't get a ton of food at Costco, and we have only been doing it for a short while. </p> <p>We use the Fresh 20 for meal plans and it requires more of one type of food then when I was previously meal planning (since it is only 20 fresh ingredients a week). For example, this week we needed 5 cups of spinach and 10 Roma tomatoes. These quantities are about what Costco sells. </p> <p>We are starting to stockpile with meat using the freezer. We buy whatever meat we need for the week and the extra quantity we re-package and freeze. I have a list of what we have frozen, so when the meat pops up again, we don't have to buy it. It has thrown off our grocery budget at the beginning but I'm sure it will even out. We might get a deep freezer but until then, we have limited freezer space. </p> <p>I would say we get about a third of our fresh groceries for our meal plan and almost all of our "pantry items" each week at Costco and fill in with the more specialty items or smaller quantity items at the grocery store. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875274 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:28:11 +0000 blackbird 1875274@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I always freeze the chicken. We buy TONS of chicken. But i take the chicken, cut the fat off and trim it down, and put two or three breasts in a freezer bag and throw them in the freezer. Sometimes I marinate. A package of chicken is like 6 pounds or so and there are probably 12-14 servings. I usually cut each breast in half because they are HUGE...and nobody really needs a 12 oz chicken breast, heh. Almonds also make for great snacks. </p> <p>The veggies make for great soups and stews b/c you can freeze them in gallon portions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875273 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:27:56 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 1875273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I grew up with warehouse shopping. After all of the pantry items were put away the next task was to open and separate the meat packges. My parents used foil &amp; freezer bags. I would recommend the home food savers to seal your meat and prevent freezer burn. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875267 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:24:03 +0000 Boheme 1875267@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am wondering the same! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-a-warehouse-store-and-meal-planning#post-1875258 Wed, 24 Sep 2014 08:19:11 +0000 looch 1875258@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If you shop at a warehouse store, like Costco, Sams or BJs, how do you meal plan? I get overwhelmed with the sheer amount of food and somehow, can't seem to think of what I would do with all that chicken, for example. I would freeze some prepared food for the week and some unprepared for the weekends.</p> <p>What I was thinking is that I could do a monthly shop at Costco, for dinners and then leftover lunches, so I need meals for 4. I've never really cooked like this before, so I am stumped as to how to determine what I need. I have no idea, for example, how many chicken breasts are actually in the package.</p> <p>HAAALP. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/whats-your-favorite-no-cooking-recipe#post-1069200 Thu, 05 Sep 2013 22:38:57 +0000 Elderberrygin 1069200@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@skibobrown: that sounds delicious! </p>