Raise your hand if “meal prep Sunday” usually means one sad container of plain chicken and rice. We get it — prepping doesn’t have to be boring, and it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive. It turns out your Costco run is already stocked with everything you need to build a full week of grab-and-go meals without spending your whole weekend in the kitchen. We dug into the warehouse aisles to find the seven buys that make meal prep actually enjoyable (and dare we say, a little fun).
1. Rotisserie Chicken Is the MVP, Obviously
You knew this was coming. Costco’s $4.99 rotisserie chicken is the backbone of half the internet’s meal prep content for a reason — it’s already cooked, already seasoned, and yields way more meat than you’d expect for the price. Shred it the second you get home (it comes off the bone easier while warm) and portion it into containers for salads, wraps, soup, or enchiladas all week long. If you love the chicken but want something a little different, our breakdown of Costco’s ribs vs. its legendary rotisserie chicken is worth a read before your next trip.
“Even just heat it up and eat it with some hot sauce, rice, and veggies” — that’s how low-effort this meal prep staple can be, according to shoppers who swear by it.
2. Kirkland Signature Eggs, By the Dozen (Times Two)
A 24-pack of Kirkland eggs is one of the best price-per-protein deals in the entire store. Hard-boil a batch for grab-and-go snacks, or go bigger with egg bites — mix in turkey bacon, peppers, onions, and shredded cheese for a muffin-tin breakfast you can reheat in 30 seconds flat. It’s the kind of prep that makes your future self genuinely grateful.
3. Frozen Berries for Smoothies and Overnight Oats
Fresh produce is a meal-prep gamble, but frozen berries never let you down. Costco’s Kirkland Signature three-berry blend holds its texture way better than fresh fruit in overnight oats and doesn’t turn your smoothie into a science experiment by Wednesday. Toss a handful in with Greek yogurt and milk and you’ve got breakfast solved for the week.
4. Grilled Chicken Skewers for Zero-Effort Protein
Precooked and packed 14 to a box, Costco’s grilled chicken skewers are basically meal prep on easy mode. Pull them off the stick, toss over rice or into a Mediterranean-style bowl with tzatziki, cucumbers, and onions, and you’ve got a 24-grams-of-protein lunch in under five minutes. Just wait to add sauce until you’re ready to eat so nothing gets soggy in the fridge.
5. Organic Baby Spinach, Bought in Bulk
A pound of organic spinach for under $7 sounds like a lot until you realize how much it cooks down. Stir it into eggs, blend it into smoothies, or wilt it under a portion of that rotisserie chicken for an instant balanced plate. Prep tip: cook it fresh the day you eat it rather than storing it pre-cooked, since it turns mushy fast.
6. Kirkland Signature Canned Tuna
Shelf-stable, high-protein, and about 34 cents an ounce, canned tuna is the pantry staple that quietly makes lunch prep easier all week. Mix it with Greek yogurt instead of mayo for a lighter tuna salad, or fold it into a grain bowl for an easy no-cook lunch on your busiest days.
7. Organic Greek Yogurt, the Ultimate Multitasker
Greek yogurt is the unsung hero of meal prep — it works as breakfast, a veggie dip, a sour cream swap on taco night, or a thickener for pasta sauce. Buying the big Kirkland Signature tubs at Costco stretches your grocery budget further than the small containers at a regular store, and the lower moisture content means it holds up in the fridge longer too. Pair it with whatever you’re already packing for lunch — like the ideas in our Costco Tuscan chicken wrap lunch upgrade — and you’ve basically built a meal prep system without trying.
The Real Secret: Mix, Match, Repeat
None of these buys are exciting alone — that’s the point. Mix a couple of proteins with one or two easy carbs and veggies so you’re not eating the same bowl five days straight. Costco’s bulk pricing tends to beat the competition too (see our grocery price comparison across Aldi, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart), so one warehouse trip can set up your whole week for less than a single takeout order.
Ready to make Sunday prep painless? Grab your Costco list, pick three or four of these staples, and set aside 45 minutes this weekend — future you will be thrilled every single weeknight.
Photo credits: Image 1 (rotisserie chicken) — Erman Gunes/Shutterstock via The Daily Meal. Image 2 (meal prep containers) — Veselovaelena/Getty Images via The Daily Meal.
