Costco Love #3

A quick Costco run + free food samples (those Costco people sure are smart) = today's 'impulse' purchase:

Jalapeno dip made with Greek yogurt ~ it was really yummy!  Great with chips, or recommended with pita bread, or as a sandwich spread...any number of possibilities...

it was dinner for me tonite... :)

Costco Love #2

So remember the other day when I said I like to wander up and down the aisles at Costco sometimes because you never know what you might find?

I had to run in there a couple of days ago to buy candy...A LOT of candy...for work because our company participated in the Denver & Colorado Springs St. Patrick's Day parades today and we wanted to be one of the 'cool' entrants who had goodies to pass out.

I was doing really well...wandered past the books...past the clothes (I MAY have purchased a cute DKNY sweater), even skipped the samples (even though I hadn't had my lunch yet). I was instructed to get the 'good' candy so I grabbed 18 bags of mixed chocolate candy (think snack sized Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Kit Kats, Almond Joys, M&M's - plain AND peanut, Snickers, Twix and Nestle Crunch) and thought I was on my way, when I saw this:

YUM!! A GINORMOUS bag of the new Pretzel M&Ms?!? SO tempting...but I resisted...and then I saw this:

The new Snickers Peanut Butter squared - something I'd been wanting to try, but haven't yet...but again, I resisted (seriously, what am I going to do with ALL of them anyway, and what if I didn't even LIKE them).

I was proud of myself for resisting both temptations...and was heading for the checkout area...all was good...UNTIL...I passed the stupid Easter candy display and was stopped in my tracks. I did a double-take...I couldn't believe what I was seeing...no WAY...

A HUGE tub of Sour Punch Twists?!? I LOVE these things! But I've only ever seen them in the mixed candy bags (also at Costco) and you have to dig them out of the mix (which I'm happy to do, but it's such a waste of all the other candy - just kidding) :) AND, these are FULL-SIZE twists, not the half-twists that come in the mixed bags...I didn't even think twice, before I put, not one, but TWO of these tubs into my basket (you never know with Costco...sometimes they only have items for a short amount of time and once they're gone...they're gone...I wasn't taking THAT chance). I was SO excited ~ more than a NORMAL person should be ~ but again, sometimes it's the little things in life that make you happy and today was certainly one of those days for me. They're such a yummy blend of sugary sweet and puckery sour in a chewy licorice form. (Maybe they'd like me to do a marketing campaign for them)?!? :)

In case I needed further justification, the calories and fat in these things are MUCH, MUCH lower than the Pretzel M&M's and the Snickers Peanut Butter Squares. So the weight-watching that I'm attempting won't be AS affected as other choices could have been.

And now I feel even better AFTER the fact because in doing a little on-line research for an image of these babies, I find that on websites such as candywarehouse.com they retail for $21.00 per tub PLUS the cost of shipping. I only paid $9.99 per tub at Costco...two for the price of one right there!

If anyone is looking for me in the next few days, I'll probably be in a sugar-induced coma... :)

Costco Love

I'm not sure what it is about buying in bulk that is so exciting, but it is...I try to refrain from going tooooo crazy when I'm in Costco...I rarely buy fresh produce because I know there's no possible way to consume all of it before it goes bad...but toiletries, tuna, cereal, dog treats etc...are commonly in my cart.

I like looking at all of the books (but I've learned to just jot down titles that look interesting and then go reserve them at the library) and clothes, and sometimes find myself just wandering up and down the aisles because you never know what you might find. And of course, who doesn't love the free samples?? I've heard of some people who go to Costco for their 'lunch' and just fill up on the samples.

I also like Costco because they have many easy to throw together meals. They have take n bake pizzas for $9.99 and that is what I was recently after, however they did not have the Tomato, Basil & Mozzarella pizza I wanted...I found these raviolis instead...they aren't "& Mozzarella"...they are "Grilled Chicken & Mozzarella" ravioli and they were really good! They come in a 2 pack, but I'd already made one package before thinking to take a picture, so just use your imagination. :)

All you have to do is cook them for 3-4 minutes in boiling water...then drain and toss with some olive oil...

and then serve with your favorite sauce ~ super easy!!

Next up...trying to figure out what to do with the 2 giant slabs of thick bacon currently in my freezer...courtesy of Costco...definitely an impulse buy, but it looked too good to pass up...and who doesn't like good bacon???