Hello and happy (now post) Hump day folks!
I hope this finds you all doing well, staying healthy and calm.
We went to Costco today at around 6 p.m. to pick up a new Seally Atwater Queen mattress for the upstairs bedroom (finally got that one checked off the list!) and we saw what I read about earlier today regarding the new limitations Costco has put in place during the Covid-19 outbreak; limiting the amount of people allowed in the warehouse a any time. (here in Kingston, it’s 50 people in, 50 people out. That’s it!)
(Jennifer in Kingston, make sure you plan for this!)
They are also encouraging a 2 meter distance between people… I’ve read this is happening at other warehouses as well, and my Costco West counterpart has reported the same thing (check out his blog post on that here!)
It’s such a weird thing to say relating a retail shopping experience to a “surreal experience” but this certainly was one. As someone who is in Costco literally hundreds of times a year this is the first time I’ve seen this happen, and the first time I’ve felt the way I did in the store… Did I feel scared, no. I felt like everyone who was involved in that experience was feeling the same thing, staff and shoppers alike. No one was moaning and groaning about waiting in like for 10 minutes, it seemed like everyone was respecting the social distancing that were being told to practice. But man is it ever an odd feeling to be in Costco with that few people in it… (reminds me of being an early morning stock worker at Petsmart 19 years ago??? I worked with a guy named Mason, we had a great time!)
With all that said folks, I will continue to shop for your weekly deals as scheduled.
And I will continue to post pictures of my cats regardless of what happens… Like this one!
Dexter and Ewok are doing fine, and are enjoying the fact that the restaurant is closed and I’m home to bug them more often… I think?
Ewok doesn’t like being squished as much, but Dexter you can really squish up next to and he seems to enjoy it… So he’s gonna get a lot of that in the coming weeks.
In an effort to try and cook new things we tried something slightly different last night and it turned out great!
It was roasted cauliflower, tofu and mushroom marinated in a tamari, honey, sambal & sesame oil mix. rice, greens and avocado.
Mmmmmmm, roasted in the oven….It was delicious!
We kind of took 3 or 4 different recipes out of a book and smashed them together based on what we had in the fridge, and as you know I love to either not use recipes or mix and match so this was perfect! On that note I’d encourage you to try the same thing. Sometimes recipes can be a little boring, but maybe if recipe ‘A’ has one thing you like and recipe ‘B’ has another, you can combine them to make a recipe ‘C’ that is amazing! (I’ve done it my whole “career” as a cook & bartender and it’s awesome!)
Anyhow I’m blathering away here…
All I wanted to say was that be mindful your Costco warehouse my have restrictions in place regarding how many people can be in the store at the same time, and you will likely have to wait to get inside. Please be OK with that!
We’re all Canadian, and we’ll get through this as Canadians do… Helping each other, being calm & being courteous.
Stay safe, stay healthy and know we’re all going to get through this together! I have faith in that!
Please feel free to share your Costco shopping story in the comments section so we can get a view of what you’re seeing in your town!
See you in a few days folks.
***This is a fan run, independent page with no affiliation or endorsement by Costco Wholesale***
The food brands available can differ from region to region. Pictures are taken at a store in Ontario. Sale items should apply to Costco locations in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Nova Scotia, if the item is in stock at your store. There will likely be a few deals not shown here in your store. If this blog has helped you save money, consider sharing www.cocoeast.ca with your friends and family! If you see deals at your store that aren’t on this blog, post them in the comments and help spread the money saving love!
Wow! Thanks for the great recipe, I’ll try it this weekend!
It was pretty delicious Sophie!
Food looks yummy (except for the tofu yuck, sorry!) and it’s making me hungry! I’m doing intermittent fasting, 8 hour eating & 16 hour fasting, so no food ‘til 12:30 🙁 actually it’s quite doable.
I got an email from Costco with details of their new protocols and was happy to read that they are limiting purchases of “certain” (didn’t actually come right out and say TOILET PAPER!) products. It’s about time imho lol!
Ah well, it’s quarantine day #5, only 9 more to go woohoo!
Oh yeah, I did take a couple pics of the tequila bottles but still can’t figure out how to post them here 🙄. My fave was Herradura Añjeo. I checked the LCBO and they only carry the lower Reposado at around $80!
Cheers and thanks again from moi.
Ah yes the Herradura, that one is delicious! (and I’m OK with the reposado too.) I’m glad you’re home safe and hopefully enjoying the quarantine???
I did intermittent fasting last year for about 2 months, probably 3-4 days a week and I noticed a big difference in how I looked and felt. I’ve been meaning to get back to that. Did you just start that?
Always great to hear from you … and to see the great meals you make! Although I don’t cook nearly as much as you do or make as many different recipes, I do the same thing – I take what sounds good from a few recipes and blend them. An old boyfriend asked why I used so may cookbooks and I said that was why! It does mean that when someone asks for “your” recipe, it’s kind of hard to say exactly what went into the dish. 😉
I don’t follow the age-old advice to follow a recipe exactly the first time and tweek it the next time either, even though it probably is good advice for everyone except very good cooks and pros.
I’m on my own and have become a bit lazy about cooking for myself. I get more adventurous when I have company. With being stuck at home now (self-isolating after picking up my mom who came home from Florida Tuesday), maybe I’ll get to making some yummy meals and freezing them for later and for sharing!
Take care and keep healthy. ♥
Thank you Susan, I’m glad you and your Mom are home safe and taking care to isolate. Now is a perfect time to get adventurous and try out some new recipes, and exactly like you said, freeze any leftover you have for next time!
We only recently followed a few recipes exactly from the books, and while they turned out good there’s always things we thought we would do differently… More of this spice, less of this ingredient etc. I always feel like the recipe I’m reading is a basic guide for something and you add or subtract whatever you feel like.
Take care of yourselves, stay safe and healthy!
We love you!! Thank you for the information and keeping our spirits up! Stay Safe!!!! Give our love to Dexter and Ewok
Thank you Shay, I love you all too & Dexter and Ewok love all the extra attention! Stay safe and healthy!
Well we started “IF” 2 weeks before going away (doh) but abandoned it while in Mexico of course since we stayed at an amazing AI with really good food. I’ve fallen in love again with jicama salad (julienned jicama, English cuke, sweet onion, olives, cilantro, oil & vinegar) and can’t wait to get back out shopping to make my own version!
Quarantine’s not so bad since I’m retired anyway and I’m saving lots of $$ and using up freezer and pantry food rather than buying more… so far 🙄😁
Haha, it is a great excuse to use all that stuff up. Mmmmm, that jicama salad does sound pretty good… I wonder if I could find any around here…Glad you’re home safe Jan!
Thanks for the update! I heard that Costco Vaudreuil was only letting in 20 people at a time today.
Your meal looks really delicious, thanks for sharing the idea! I love mixing recipes or just using them for inspiration
I think it’s an important step to take, and to be honest we didn’t even really wait more than 5 minutes to get in (as a bonus there were no line-ups at the cash so… no complaints here.)
Update: it seems Costco Vaudreuil is letting 200 people at a time. You are right the wait is not long. Only one out of 2 cashes is open to promote social distancing. The foot court seating has been removed and there is an employee to press on the ketchup mustard relish dispensers for customers.
Costco will not be accepting returns on toiket paper, scott towels, sanitizing wipes, rice, water and Lysol.
Typo: I meant FOOD court
Haha, just caught that, hilarious!
I think our food court in Kingston has just been shut down, which is for the best…. Last thing I need now is Hot dogs…
Oh my goodness that looks delicious!!
Please be safe and take care of yourself!!
Are Costco stores in Ontario doing senior shopping hours ?
Yes Val, our Costco was opening early for seniors.