Costco recent wins and losses

I just had another Costco order delivered last week.  And it seems that I keep spending more and receiving less, but I guess that is true at most grocery stores these days.

Anyway, I probably shouldn’t have made out my order before eating dinner because everything sounded good to me and I bought things that I would ordinarily never buy.  I have been doing my best to stay away from food that has been highly processed.  And I have done very well, until this shopping batch.  I haven’t opened all of my impulse purchases yet, but I have tried several things that were really good and one that was not good.  

The good:

Kirkland Signature Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Chunks.  I had seen a recipe for an orange sauce to make orange chicken and I decided to try these instead of making my own.  I was half afraid they would taste like those chicken finger things on the children’s menu at fast food places.  I tried a bite of one once years ago and it was horrible.  But I was hoping that Costco would do a better job.  Surprisingly, they are really tasty.  It is really pieces of chicken breast, not flaked and formed bits of mushed meat.  They are coated in a light breading that makes them nice and crispy, yet the meat itself is very moist and tender. 

Oroweat Sandwich Thins.  I wanted to make up a bunch of breakfast sandwiches.  I tried some premade types that were ok, but they were on a croissant and had some undercooked bacon. I figured I could make my own on these sandwich thins and use Canadian Bacon which would get rid of all that extra fat.  I ordered some round thin silicone egg molds from Amazon that made perfect little egg patties.  I added spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, cheese and onions to the egg mixture.  They only took a minute in the microwave from frozen.  I usually have a protein shake in the mornings, but having a big batch of these in the freezer will be very handy when I have had a bad night and even standing at the counter to make a protein drink is too difficult.  The sandwich thins have a really nice flavor and are perfect for someone like me who is not a big bread eater.

La Terra Fina Spinach and Artichoke & Parmesan Dip.  Again, not something I would ever buy just for myself.  But I do buy it for company.  It was very good with just the right amount of artichokes.  I think this will also be good as a filling for a chicken breast.  I have tried other brands of artichoke dip over the years and this one is the best of the bunch.  The Parmesan cheese is a great addition.

Kirkland Kettle Krinkle Cut Potato Chip with Pink Himalayan Salt.  I can’t honestly remember the last time I bought potato chips.  It just isn’t something that ever appeals to me.  I don’t know if it is the Himalayan salt or the ridge cut, but they are the best chip I have ever tasted.  But, remember, I am no potato chip expert.  And I can’t even say what made me add these to my list, but I’m glad I did.

The misses so far.

Del Real Pupusas.  This was not very tasty.  The ratio of filling to crust seemed pretty stingy.  And the flavor of the filling didn’t appeal to me.  The crust was nice though.  Honestly, it might be because I didn’t pay attention that they are a beef product.  I stopped eating beef years ago.  It was a bit too spicy and stringy for me.  I just thought it would be a really easy dinner to just heat and eat, no messy dishes, just a small nonstick pan to wash.  I think I would like it if it were less spicy.  The older I get, the less spice I can handle.  It is a box of 10 that is going to take me a while to get through.

There are a couple more impulse purchases that I haven’t tried yet.  I normally just buy the frozen chicken breasts, some type of frozen fish, and fruits and vegetables, rather boring stuff.  This was a gamble, trying odd things without having tasted them yet. 

I will probably buy the sandwich thins again.  I have only had one breakfast sandwich so far, but it was so easy that I can see making up a batch of them every month.  

And if the dip is good as a filling for a pounded chicken breast, I will buy that again.  

The chicken breast chunks sure made putting together the orange chicken really easy since it was just a matter of making the sauce and grabbing a packet of rice from the freezer.  I try to make sure there is a stock of baggies of brown rice, quinoa, and wild rice in the freezer to add to dishes rather than having to cook them for each meal.  I am big on batch cooking, especially as a single person.  I used to enjoy cooking more than I do now, so anything that I can have precooked and in packets in the freezer, the better.

While the potato chips were very tasty, it is not an item that I need to have in my diet.  So I will eat these very sparingly, savoring them, but I won’t buy them again unless I am entertaining.

So what are your latest hit or miss discoveries at Costco lately?