To live lean means to eliminate time spent shopping for food and preparing it. It starts by basing your diet on a few regular nutritious choices and then finding one place to get it all for an affordable price.
Costco is the answer. I do all of my grocery shopping at Costco, entering a supermarket only a few times a year. (Heck, I do about 90 percent of all shopping at Costco). There’s still a stereotype about Costco selling only massive sizes, which is just not true. It’s possible to buy a single Rotisserie chicken, a dozen eggs or a bottle of wine. Sure, you can’t purchase a single apple or avocado, but don’t most of us buy them at least six at a time?
Costco is a terrific company on many levels because it stays lean. It limits its products to only high-end stuff, including many food products made under its own Kirkland Signature line. It caps its markup on products at 14 percent, miniscule for retail, and that creates customer loyalty. It provides its employees with among the highest wages and best benefits in retail, which also creates loyalty. It lets customers return merchandise with no receipts and no questions asked – with few time limits.
The company operates under two simple rules: Take care of your customer, and take care of your employees. Walk into a Costco and you’ll find people providing customer service with a smile.
Full disclosure: I’m a longtime Costco member and shareholder. I believe in everything the Kirkland, Washington, company stands for, though I’ve never had one of those cheap hot dogs they sell by the thousands. (They’re apparently pretty good, if you like hot dogs.)
I find everything I need to eat at Costco:
Rotisserie chicken: These are an excellent value at $5.99. Remove the fatty skin and you have enough for one meal plus leftovers. If you buy two, you can carve the second one up and take care of several lunches and perhaps another dinner.
Flank steak: This is the leanest cut of beef, yet it’s juicy and flavorful. Costco portions aren’t small, but if you’re cooking for only one or two, you can freeze half of it. I only eat red meat occasionally, usually when hosting guests, and this is a great option.
Wild salmon: It’s sometimes difficult to find salmon that’s not farm-raised, which contains higher levels of chlorinated compounds known as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Costco sells wild salmon, some of which is already marinated.
Vegetables: Go for the mixed dark greens available in boxes or bags. Organic spinach comes in large bags or plastic tubs with a short-term expiration date. Spinach is versatile—you can use it to anchor salads or cook it in olive oil and serve as a side dish for dinner. Asparagus and broccoli come in larger packages and can be enjoyed several times over the course of the week. At our house asparagus is considered finger food and I’ve been known to eat it six times a week, coating it with olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt and baking for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. I also buy broccoli and cucumbers at Costco.
Fruits: The price of blueberries fluctuates wildly over the course of the year, depending on whether Costco can obtain them from local farmers or must ship them from greater distances. You usually can find blackberries and strawberries as well. Frozen berries are always a good option. I buy apples, bananas, and avocados at Costco as well.
Olive oil: This can be a bigger-ticket item, so it pays to buy in bulk. Costco’s private-label “Kirkland Signature” extra virgin olive oil is a good value and a rich source of healthy fats as a salad dressing or as a marinade for spinach and asparagus.
Tomatoes: Rich in antioxidants, tomatoes are a staple of any high-performance diet. Costco sells them in all sizes, from grape to full-size.
Eggs: We buy the two-dozen package, but they come in smaller amounts.
Peanut butter: Costco’s organic creamy peanut butter, produced under its Kirkland Signature label, is delicious and contains only dry roasted peanuts and sea salt.
Whey protein powder: Whey is a by-product of cheese manufacturing and includes many essential amino acids that boost the immune system and promote overall good health. Protein powder can be found in chocolate and vanilla powder. I mix a scoop with my morning green smoothie and also a half-scoop with watered down orange juice before working out.
Muscle Milk Light: These sell in cases of 24 for $30 but they tend to go on sale for $22-$24 every couple of months so I stock up. Each 8.25-ounce container provides 20g of protein and 140 calories. I consume one right after working out to jumpstart recovery. They’re also convenient as mid-morning or mid-afternoon nutrition or if you’re running around all day with errands and shuttling kids. I limit myself to two a day, usually just one.
Nuts: They’re not cheap, so it pays to buy in bulk. You can put them in salads, mix them into post-workout recovery shakes, and even eat them alone like I do as a mid-afternoon snack. Almonds, walnuts, and pecans are good choices. Freeze to keep fresh.
Water: Costco sells bottled water by the case. Grab some standard half-liter bottles, along with some 8-ouncers for kids or guests who might not need a full bottle. Of course, you can save money and the environment by refilling your own water bottle.
Wine: Did you know that nobody sells more wine in the United States than Costco? Because of that buying power, the savings is passed along to you. Costco wines come from all over the world, including Europe, South America and Australia. Alcohol is not a part of a Live Lean lifestyle, and I limit myself to just an occasional glass of wine. There’s perhaps no better place to pick up a quality bottle of wine for a reasonable price and Costco has everything to satisfy your wine palate.
And that’s it. By “limiting” my nutrition to just these items, I save time and money and eat healthfully. I put limit in quotes because I don’t see this as deprivation. It’s what my body has come to crave. Costco makes it one-stop shopping.