While it can be oh-so-tempting to throw one of everything in your cart—especially when limited edition seasonal items hit their shelves—I prefer healthy snacks for my little guy, which I consider low in added sugars and with enough protein and fiber to help curb between-meals hunger and endless snack requests. Here are eight of my favorite kid snacks available at Trader Joe’s:
ABC Bars
ABC Bars—the ABC stands for “almond butter cocoa”—are a lightly sweetened chocolatey oat bar filled with almond butter. It’s both perfectly sweet and salty. With only four grams of added sugars per bar, it contain less sugar plus more protein and fiber than other TJ’s cereal bars. Plus, you get six for just $3.29!
Organic Fruit Sauce Crushers
These are some of the most affordable fruit pouches I’ve come across. There are four flavor options: apple mango, apple strawberry (my kid’s favorite), apple banana, and apple carrot. None of them have added sugars. I pair them with dry cereal for a pre-breakfast snack when my son wakes up hangry or with an afternoon cheese-and-cracker snack plate.
Dried Fruit Bars
These fruit leather bars have the soft and chewy texture reminiscent of the fruit roll-ups I grew up snacking on. They’re made with 100% fruit puree—no added sugars—and come in apple strawberry, apple raspberry, and apple apricot flavors. At only 69 cents a pack—there are two fruit leather strips per pack—I stock my pantry and purse for emergency snack attacks. TJ carries another similar product called Fruit Wraps that are thinner. Both are delicious and you won’t regret mixing them up.
Ultra-Filtered Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk
Trader Joe’s sells two kinds of chocolate milk. The Ultra-Filtered Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk tastes like a treat, but contains 50% less added sugars and has almost twice the protein than their other option, Chocolate Whole Milk. Blend it with a scoop of natural peanut butter and a frozen banana for a delicious and nutritious milkshake.
Gone Bananas!
These frozen dark chocolate-covered banana slices are my go-to when we need a decidedly sweet bite between meals without the sugar rush. Each box contains about 20 banana slices. You’ll also find a strawberry version that’s equally delicious. Pro tip: Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes so they soften enough for little mouths to bite into.
Cheddar Rocket Crackers
The best tasting cheddar crackers come from Trader Joe’s—they don’t have that processed flavor I often taste in other brands. Seriously. I’ve tasted them all and while other brands promise extra cheddar flavor, TJ’s version actually delivers. This is my kid’s holy grail—the only snack he fishes out of the shopping cart to munch on while we shop. And I’m happy to oblige. Sure, it’s not high in proteins or fibers, but it’s high in joy-factor. Sometimes that’s more than enough.
Freeze Dried Fruit
Dried fruit can be a choking hazard for younger children, but crunchy freeze dried fruit is a different story—they melt in your mouth. You’ll find freeze dried mangos, strawberries, blueberries, and mixed berries. Pop them in your mouth as is or crumble them on plain yogurt for super concentrated fruit flavor without the added sugars.
Bamba Peanut Snacks
These little snacks puffs have an intense peanut butter flavor with the texture of a cheese puff—you can’t just have one. Not surprising they made it on the list of TJ’s customer choice awards. They’re made with just four not-scary ingredients and contain five grams of protein per serving.
