6 Best Trader Joe’s Snacks for Back-to-School Snacking

Somehow, back-to-school season is already upon us. But homework and clique-y drama have a silver lining, and that silver lining is the aluminum on the inside of a chip bag. That’s right, back-to-school snacks make 6 a.m. alarms and participation grades a little less painful, and Trader Joe’s has the best selection around. Here are six newish and new Trader Joe’s foods to stock up on for back-to-school snacking, whether you’re of school cafeteria age or simply traumatized by the memories.

Pizza Seasoned Crackers: Pizza and school go hand-in-hand. Whether it’s the square cafeteria pizza with the rubbery cheese we hate to love, or pizza parties as the go-to incentive for reading, it’s hard to make it through any level of school without pizza of some sort. So, why not bring pizza into school on your own terms, with a trendy new makeover courtesy of Trader Joe’s? All the flavor of pizza, all the crunch of a cracker, without it being because the pizza was burnt to a crisp? A+.
World’s Puffiest Sour Cream and Onion Corn Puffs: Crying about losing best dressed to someone who didn’t even know skinny jeans were out? Have a corn puff. Doing your victory lap for getting voted most athletic? Have a corn puff. Shrugging because you totally forgot to vote and you’re just trying to make it through school? Have a corn puff. Trader Joe’s delightfully airy puffs coated in a savory sour cream and onion seasoning are perfect for any occasion.
Quinoa and Black Bean Infused Tortilla Chips: Don’t you hate sneaking your whole Tex-Mex grain bowl into class? We also hate it when you do that. Luckily, Trader Joe’s has condensed the quinoa, bean, and corn chips into one hand-held triangle of flavor that saves you the trouble of scraping refried beans from the inside of your bookbag, and saves us from daydreaming about how to tactfully remind you that beans are the musical fruit.
Hold The Cone Tips: Lunchbox temperature control technology has probably come a long way since the days of plastic cubes and brown bags, but it’s still probably not the best idea to bring a sundae cone. What is the best idea, however, is avoiding the danger of melting by simply taking the ice cream out but leaving the delicious chocolate filled cone at the bottom. This is a perfectly sweet, crunchy treat that’ll be just as good waiting for you at lunchtime as it will at 9 a.m. when you decide that life’s too short to wait.
Organic Iced Oatmeal Baked Whole Grain Bar: It’s a great feeling to wake up rested at 6 a.m. with time for a leisurely shower, a hearty breakfast, and still plenty of time to get to school. It’s a less great feeling to jolt awake and realize that it was all a dream, and you’re actually running pretty late. But between the wet wipe shower and running after the bus with your shoes untied, you still had time to grab a bar that provides equal parts nutrition, energy, and flavor so delicious that you’ll forget that life is a series of unending stresses and you will never feel rested.
Mango Sticky Rice Crisps: We don’t know about you, but the closest we could ever get to mango sticky rice in our school cafeteria was dropping a couple fruit cocktail pieces into a cup of watery rice pudding. While these new, crunchy, bite-sized disks are certainly a different take on the well-loved dessert, they still evoke the same flavors without the need for a spoon, Thai restaurant, or Chopped-style ingenuity featuring cafeteria staples.