I'm a busy dad of 2 who shops at Trader Joe's. Here are 17 things I love to buy for easy meals during the school year.

Our family loves to make smoothies, and the plain organic yogurt from Trader Joe's is the star of every one of them.

We try to buy organic products, so mixing the yogurt with berries, chia seeds, and ice fits the bill nicely.

The chain's thin soy-sauce-flavored rice crackers are a great, savory snack. I'll pass them around after soccer practice or when dinner isn't quite ready, which happens a little too often in our busy family.

The frozen meal is a quick, filling vegetarian option.

On days when we end up making a meal with meat, our daughter eats these with no complaints. It's one of her all-time favorites.

My son's favorite deli meat from Trader Joe's is the Columbus Craft Meats roasted turkey breast.

He enjoys all of the flavor options on bread with some lettuce, mustard, and cheese. It's pretty unbeatable for a teen-approved lunch.

The frozen steak-and-stout pies from Trader Joe's are remarkably filling and fantastic. This is one of those grocery items that I could easily mistake for restaurant food.

I'm not sure how the chain made them this delicious, but we're huge fans.

Along with romaine and arugula, feta is key to pretty much every salad my wife makes. It's luscious, somewhat salty, and delicious.

Plus, the block of authentic Greek feta cheese lasts for an entire week of lunches.

The chain's baby beets are delectable and another key component of my wife's giant salads. One box is good for about four salads if I don't swipe a few for myself (which I often do).

We go through a ton of these organic, cage-free eggs, and I think Trader Joe's sells them for a reasonable price of $4.

Eggs are used in many of our weekly meals and baked goods, and they're also a key source of protein for our vegetarian daughter.

Our kids absolutely love strawberry cereal, and a box of the chain's strawberry-yogurt O's is only $4.

The store has a great selection of cereal, but this one's always a winner.

Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend is good on much more than just bagels.

We've used this seasoning blend on vegetables, in soups, and — our favorite — on avocado toast. It's fantastic.

Sometimes, dinner isn't my family's last meal of the day. I'll be the first to admit that a box of Trader Joe's frozen Margherita pizza has hit the oven at 10 p.m. more than a handful of times.

The pizza costs $4, a lot less than delivery, and is so tasty.

The chain's rainbow cauliflower isn't like your average frozen vegetable.

I honestly don't know how Trader Joe's managed to make the side dish taste this good.

I was introduced to arrabbiata sauce by a Swiss chef in an Italian restaurant about 15 years ago, and I think Trader Joe's frozen penne arrabbiata is up to par.

The meal tastes as if it took much longer than five minutes to prepare.

The maple cookies are nothing short of amazing, and when we buy them, they're consistently gone by the next day.

We're so glad they're sold year-round because nothing beats the creamy maple filling.

My entire family loves Indian food, especially my vegetarian daughter.

Trader Joe's paneer tikka masala is a delicious frozen meal — even our carnivore son asks when we're restocking on this one.

Trader Joe's bulgogi-beef fried rice is flavorful, tender, and filling — the type of food I'm consistently surprised to find in the frozen section.

It also contains vegetables, which is always a parenting win.

The peanut-butter-filled pretzels are the one Trader Joe's product I love that nobody else in my family will go near.

I'm both a peanut butter and a pretzel fanatic, and these are pretty much my dream snack food. They're salty, peanut buttery, and just the best in my opinion.

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