SPORTS

Lauren Moore finishes her triple jump trial, landing in the sandpit, during a meet | Photo courtesy of Lauren Moore

Diving into senior Lauren Moore’s seven year journey in track and field

May 29, 2026

Lelani Laruelle competes in long jump at a track and field meet at Fremont High School. Photo | Stella Petzova

Senior and jumper Lelani Laruelle commits to UC Berkeley for Division 1 track and field

May 27, 2026

Laruelle reframed her mindset and overcame mental blocks, finding fulfillment in the sport

Varsity Badminton falls 28-2 against Lynbrook High School

May 25, 2026

Seniors who have participated in a high school sport for four years reflect on the ways their respective sport has impacted them

May 24, 2026

Although they don’t plan on playing for a college the seniors discuss other ways they will continue to keep their connection to their respective sport alive

Snack Attack Vol. 2: Fall Snacks

El Estoque reviews Trader Joe’s fall-themed items

Leah Desai and Sania Nadkarni • October 23, 2025

Graphic | Sania Nadkarni

Snack Attack Vol. 2: Fall Snacks

Graphic | Sania Nadkarni

Spooky Bats & Cats ($3.79)

As a festive spin on Trader Joe’s already iconic Sour Scandinavian Swimmers, the Spooky Bats & Cats uphold their excellent reputation with their well-known chewy and soft texture. While the shapes of cats and bats are festive, the flavors are more generic and do not reflect traditional fall flavors. However, the green apple, grape and orange flavors still encapsulate the nostalgia of childhood Halloween candies, with the sourness of Sour Patch mixed with the texture of Swedish Fish. The sourness level creates the perfect balance between the sweet fruity flavors and the tart sugar coating.

Rating: 4/5

Graphic | Leah Desai

Maple & Sea Salt Kettle Popcorn ($2.99)

This snack is perfectly light and airy, so much so that you might want to eat the entire bag in one sitting. The flavor of this popcorn, with its maple sugar coating and salt flakes, ensures a perfect balance of salty and sweet, and each kernel carries the same subtle crunch in every bite. Despite its consistency and balance, the fall maple flavor is too subtle to differentiate this fall snack from a regular kettle corn, but it is definitely worth the purchase.

Rating: 4.5/5

Graphic | Sania Nadkarni

Pumpkin Spiced Joe-Joe’s ($4.49)

While the anticipation for these cookies was high because of how delicious the standard creme filled Trader Joe’s Joe-Joes are, the intense sweetness overpowers the pumpkin spice flavor: the combination of the hard yogurt filling along with the icing that covered the cookie made it so sweet that the pumpkin spice flavor was almost completely erased. While the cinnamon flavored biscuit attempts to balance the cookies’ sweetness, it ultimately fails due to the intensity of the other components, creating a sweet disaster. At $4.49, this snack price isn’t worth the price, and you’re only paying for sweetness with barely any fall flavors.

Rating: 2/5

Graphic | Leah Desai

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese ($3.79)

The virality of this product on social media made us skeptical — can a frozen meal really be that good? After 6 minutes in the microwave, we took our first bite, and it's safe to say, we were extremely underwhelmed.

Although the taste of the butternut squash shined, the dish lacked saltiness and cheesiness — the two most important components of mac & cheese. The rigatoni pasta shape was extremely satisfying to eat, but this experience would have been amplified if there was more sauce in the dish.

Rating: 2/5

Graphic | Leah Desai

Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix ($3.49)

After three extra ingredients of water, eggs and vegetable oil, and 60 minutes of baking time (for the bread option), the resulting pumpkin bread was not worth the effort or time. While it did yield a fairly large portion, making it worth the price, the bread had a harder top layer, was dry overall and lacked substantial pumpkin flavor. It could be saved with additions such as chocolate chips or nuts, but since they aren’t included, the mix is not a worthwhile purchase.

Rating: 3/5

About the Contributors

Leah Desai, Sports Editor

Leah is currently a senior and a Sports Editor for El Estoque. She is a member of the Monta Vista volleyball team and in her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends, going shopping and re-watching sitcoms.

Sania Nadkarni, Staff Writer

Sania Nadkarni is currently a senior and Staff Writer for El Estoque. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, eating in-n-out and spending time with her friends and family.