Rana Gnocchi Skillet Kit Review-A Quick, Tasty and Affordable Side Dish

 

The Rana Gnocchi Skillet Kit is on sale at Costco unit 8/30, so you still have a few days to buy it.  The regular price on it is definitely okay but on sale it is a pretty solid deal for a yummy side dish.  It comes in about a 1 and a half pound bag, it serves six and it is refrigerated.

It is really well organized and packaged.  That certainly helps speed up the prep which takes 10 minutes or less.

You start out by melting the butter and then cooking and browning the gnocchi.

Then you add the cheese sauce, mix and warm the sauce and you are ready to go!  We made a very light supper out of this by serving it with the Normandy Blend Vegetables that we keep in the freezer.

This was a great light supper since we wanted something less heavy that night.  But if you are doing a complete meal of a vegetable, a side dish and a meat this is a fabulous choice for something chicken or pork based. I am thinking we might serve this along with some other side dish options to go with some grilled chicken sausage on Labor Day. 

You could also stir in some cooked Italian sausage or some chicken and turn it in a main course pretty easily.  

So indulge yourself affordably and easily and pick up some of the Rana Gnocchi Kits while they are on sale. After trying it out we bought two more bags of it!  It has a great shelf life of well over a month so you can keep it around for when you need it.

They are not to be passed up.

Be safe and be well.

Summary of Food and Related Items on Sale at Costco From 8/5 to 8/30

 Costco has a number of food, beverage, pet food and related items on sale this month.  Here is a summary:

FoodSaver Multi-Use Food Preservation System $50 off, $99.99 after discount, Limit 5

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing Combo Pack, $10 off, $29.99 after discount, Limit 5

Snapware Platic Food Storage Set, 38 piece, $4 off, $15.99 after discount, Limit 5

Pyrex Mixing Mixing Bowl Set, 8 piece (4 bowls with matching lids), $3 off, $11.99 after discount, limit 5. This is a favorite of ours. We love them.  They are functional, affordable, attractive and they store easily stacked inside of each other. Aside from mixing, these are also nice serving bowls for casual use.  We also use one of these bowls for making our weekly batch of oatmeal.

Keurig K-Duo Plus Coffee Maker, $40 off, Limit 5

NutriBullet Blender Combo, $20 off, $79.99 after discount, Limit 5

Kirkland Signature K-Cup Pods, 120 count, $5 off, $31.99 after discount, Limit 5

Red Bull Energy Drink, 24 count / 8.4 fl oz, Save $7, Limit 2

Folgers Ground Coffee Classic Roast, 51 oz, $2 off, Limit 5

Sambazon Organi Acai Superfruit Juice, 64 fl oz, Save $3, Limit 3

S. Pellegrino Essenza Sparkling Water Variety Pack, 24 count / 11 fl oz, $4 off, Limit 5

Perrier Sparkling Water, 24 count / 16.9 fl oz, $4.50 off, Limit 5

Perfect Hydration Water, 24 count / 20 fl oz, $4 off, Limit 10

Hint Flavored Water Variety Pack, 15 count  16 fl oz, Limit 5

GoGo SqueeZ Organic Blastz Fruit Pouches Variety Pack, 16 count / 3.9 ox, $3.50 off, Limit 10

Capri Sun 100% Juice Variety Pack, 40 count / 6 fl oz, $4 off, Limit 5

Starbucks Pike Place K-Cup Pods Medium Roast, 72 count, $7 off, $29.99 after discount, Limit 5

Skinny Pop Popcorn, 28 count / 0.65 oz, $4 off, Limit 5

Sensible Portions Sea Salt Garden Veggie Straws, 25 oz, $2 off, Limit 10

Black Forest Organic Gummy Bears, 65 count, $4 off, limit 4

Meiji Hello Panda Chocolate Creme Filled Cookies, 32 count, $2.50 off, Limit 5

Oberto or Pacific Gold Original Beef Jerky, 16 oz, $4.20 off, Limit 4

Edward Marc Coconut Almonds with Dark Chocolate, 32 oz, $3.90 off, Limit 10

WildRoots Trail Mix Coastal Berry, 26 oz, $2.70 off, Limit 10. While we enjoy making our own trail mix this certainly looks like a tasty alternative.

Pepperige Farm Goldfish Crackers, 45 count / 1 oz package, $3 off, Limit 5.  Where I work we bring in treats for our birthday and I brought these in last year. They were very popular.  Now with Covid-19 they make even more sense for a safe and tasty indulgence.

Nature Valley Granola Bars Oats 'N Honey, 49 count, $3.80  off, Limit 10

Kellogg's Rice Krispie Treats Original Flavor, 60 count, $3.50 off, Limit 6.  A few years ago I had to provide refreshments for a training session for Toastmasters and I used these are desert. They worked  well since they were safe for people with food allergies and they are individually packed.

Pure Protein Bar Variety Pack, 21 count, $5 off, Limit 10

Premier 30g Protein Shakes 18 count / 11 fl oz, $7 off, Limit 2 each of four different flavors

RXBAR, 16 count / 1.83 oz, $5.50 off, Limit 4

Frito-Lay Classic Mix Variety Pack, 54 Count, $3.60 off, Limit 5. While these aren't the baked versions that I wrote about some years ago, the cost savings for buying these over the vending machine are real and have only gotten more substantial where I work. And now with Covid-19 they have shut down our break room  so we can only bring in our own snacks.

Kellog Eggo Waffles Homestyle, 72 Count, $3 off, Limit 6.  While we prefer homemade waffles these are definitely convenient for school/workday breakfast.

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats, 2/35 oz boxes, $3 off, Limit 10.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 2/ 24.75 oz boxes, $2.10 off, Limit 5

Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt Variety Pack, 20 count/ 5.3 oz, $4 off, Limit 8

Hellmann's or Best Foods Mayonnaise, 64 fl oz, $2 off, Limit 6

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing, 2 / 40 fl oz bottles, $3 off, Limit 2

Marinara Sauce, White Linen and/or Organic, 2 / 40 oz jars, $3 off, Limit 10

Hillshire Farm Lunch Meat Variety Pack 3 packages / 1 pound each, $4 off, Limit 1

Columbus Antibiotic Free Seasoned Sliced Chicken Breast Nitrate Free, $4 off, Limit 3

Season Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil, 6 count / 4.375 oz, $3 off, Limit 10. These are an easy way to add fish to your diet.

Sandwich Brothers Chicken Melts Flatbread Pocket Sandwiches, 15 count, $3 off, Limit 3

Don Lee Farms Organic Chipotle Black Bean Burger, 12 count, Save $5, Limit 3. We have previously enjoyed other brands of black bean burgers at Costco and I have full confidence that these are also a quality product. 

Don Lee Farms Organic Veggie Bites 28 oz, $3 off, Limit 3. I would think these would be good to dip in the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing that is on sale this month. They are also an easy way to add a healthy fish to your diet. 

CJ Bibigo Steamed Dumplings Chicken and Vegetable, 36 count, $3.50 off, Limit 3.  These come in 6 trays of 6 each along with 6 sauce packs.  They make a great quick and easy lunch. I am very fond of these.

Snapdragon Vietnamese Pho Bowls, 9 count/ 2.1 oz, $3 off, Limit 10.  My lovely wife is particularly fond of these and this will be another item we purchase this month.

Rana Gnocchi Skillet Kit 23.6 oz, $2.50 off, Limit 3. I love gnocchi and I will definitely be buying this and hopefully doing a review before the sale is over.

And for our four legged friends, we have three Costco Canine Cuisine Items:

Jerky Treats Dog Snacks Beef Flavor 60 oz, $5 off, Limit 5

Nylabone Edible Dog Chews Grain Free with Real Bison, 48 count, $5.50 off, Limit 10

Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Adult Dog Food, Chicken & Brown Rice, 38 lbs, $13 off, Limit 10.  

I recommend checking with your local human society or animal rescue to see if they take donations of pet food and other products. It is a great way to help out homeless animals. There are also pet food pantries that help out by providing food to owners that are in financial need. Given the current unemployment rate I would certainly think there are plenty of pet owners that could use a helping hand.

Take care everyone and be safe and be well.