John Francis
Let’s be honest, the meals we ate in the ’90s were…questionable. Who can forget the overprocessed, brightly colored, probably frozen, and just plain weird meals of our youth? Put on some *NSYNC and your favorite choker, because we’re about to throw it back to the most iconic meals you probably wish you never ate.
1
Totino’s Pizza Rolls
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I dare you to eat these without burning the roof of your mouth. You can’t. It’s impossible. Shout-out to the pepperoni kind though. Classic is for suckers.
2
Fish Sticks
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I’m not sure who decided it was a good idea to grind up fish, mold it into rectangular sticks, and fry them, but I’d like to speak with them immediately and have a word.
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3
Hamburger Helper
As far as I’m concerned, hamburgers don’t need very much help, but this boxed pasta and seasoning mix was all the rage. Just add ground beef and…enjoy?
4
Pizza Bagels
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Bagels? Good. Pizza? Really good. This is a flavor combo made in heaven. And you know what? Gimme a plate right now. Or at least after 2 a.m.
5
Mini Chicken Pot Pie
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Am I crazy, or was this mixture of chicken goo and pie crust the best lunch? Just me? Okay.
6
Stuffed-Crust Pizza
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As if pizza doesn’t already have enough cheese on it. Convincing your parents to order one of these was like winning the lottery. Plus, raise your hand if you ate these slices backward (as in, crusts first). Genius.
7
Chip Casserole
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What’s a casserole without a little added crunch on top? Whether yours was a chili cheese Frito situation or a potato chip extravaganza, these deep-dish treats would go like crazy at the block party.
8
Toaster Strudel
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Cherry filling or bust. Bonus points if you could draw something ~artsy~ with the icing packet (that is, if it didn’t explode in your hand when you tried to rip it apart from the others in the pack). This guy was truly the breakfast of champions.
9
Hawaiian Pizza
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We may be in the throes of a pineapple-on-pizza debate (seriously, even the Washington Post covered it), but Hawaiian pizza was toootally cool in the ’90s. Pineapple plus pepperoni? TBH, it’s good.
10
Potato Smileys
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Honestly, forget goldfish. These are the real snacks that smile back. If you weren’t eating these at home after school when your parents were gone, what were you doing?
11
Hot Pockets
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If you had to use the microwave at lunch for a Hot Pocket, you were definitely one of the cool kids and everyone was jealous. And you know you can still sing that jingle by heart, right?
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12
Olive Focaccia
A staple at every fancy ’90s dinner party. If you were lucky, your mom let you poke the holes in the dough with your fingers. For the record, focaccia is still so, so, so, good.
13
Pop-Tarts
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Pop-Tarts is the less-good version of Toaster Strudel, although you could eat one of these cold and it was still a cool-kid breakfast of the ages.
14
Cheeseburger Pockets
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You know how everything slides out the back of a cheeseburger when you bite into it? That’s not the case when they’re in pocket form. Innovative AF, honestly.
15
Dinosaur Nuggets
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Honestly, I still stan. I’m only wondering how they got chicken to look like this. Actually, I definitely don’t want to know.
16
Lunchables
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These might be the root of millennials’ obsession with cheese plates, and I’m not mad about it. Gimme a classic package stat.
17
Lean Pockets
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Like Hot Pockets, but your mom bought them when she was trying to be “healthy.”
18
Eggo Waffles
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“Leggo my eggo” is still such a vibe, TBH. Plus, these things have been given new life thanks to Stranger Things.
19
Bologna and White-Bread Sandwich
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The days when we could eat bologna on white bread for lunch were simpler times. I can literally feel the playground nostalgia.
20
Uncrustables
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Uncrustables is the king of lunch foods, with creamy, jammy insides and an outside that smushes together when you bite into it. I will die on this hill.
21
Spaghettios
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Canned Spaghettios are iconic at this point. Who among us didn’t eat them on a rainy Sunday while watching Nickelodeon?
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22
Kraft Mac and Cheese
Make way for the OG. Your homemade mac and cheese could NEVER.
23
Kid Cuisine
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The best part of Kid Cuisine was the commercials with the li’l animated penguin. I’d do anything for him…except eat these things anymore.
24
Corn Dogs
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I’m not saying I would still eat a corn dog if the opportunity presented itself to me, but I’m also not not saying that. At a carnival? On a boardwalk? It could work….
25
Bean Dip
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I’m pretty sure these are just refried beans that a lazy person decided to dip chips in. You may still see a big pot of these at a Super Bowl party or BBQ.
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26
Chef Boyardee
Dump a can of ravioli and sauce into a bowl and heat it up? Classic ’90s. And who can forget the Chef Boyardee commercials? I hope someone gave their marketing team a raise.
27
Froot Loops
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Toucan Sam? A legend. Froot Loops? Not my fave, but they made a great necklace back in the day. Super sweet and crunchy, they were even better without milk.
28
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
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Who doesn’t want to consume an entire block of cheese in soup form? I still do, because this is definitely my go-to order at Panera. But in the ’90s, you know that stuff came straight from the canned aisle.
29
Boiled Hot Dogs
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Remember when hot-dog water was being sold for $28 dollars a bottle? In simpler times, we ate boiled hot dogs cut into chunks, served on a paper plate with purple ketchup. Gross….
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30
DiGiorno Pizza
It’s not delivery. It’s…yeah, you know the drill. If your parents didn’t leave a DiGiorno pizza with the babysitter when they went out on a Friday, were you even a ’90s kid?
31
Lucky Charms
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Real ones know: Hold the cereal. Marshmallows only.
32
Personal Fajitas
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You definitely ordered this at a restaurant and burned your hand on the skillet, even though the server warned you it was going to be hot. Very hot. This plate still slaps though.
Dunkaroos
33
Dunkaroos
Be honest: You definitely ate these amazing snacks as a full meal at one point. Cookies + icing = heaven, right? Damn, I wish they still made these.
34
Hard-Shell Tacos
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LMK, is the best way to eat these by tilting your head so that your neck is at a weird angle or by trying to angle the taco in a way that doesn’t make everything fall out? Asking for a friend.
35
Sloppy Joes
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Your lunch lady just loooved slopping one of these onto your plate in the cafeteria. If you could eat it without a knife and fork, you are a god among mortals. We stan an icon.
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36
Chicken Fries
Chicken. Fries. What the hell was this?! Imagine grabbing a bag of these now. The ’90s were wild.
37
BBQ Chicken Pizza
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TBH, sometimes I still get this as a late-night snack, but I think we can all agree that barbecue sauce, chicken, and red onions don’t really belong on pizza.
38
Instant Mashed Potatoes
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I’m sorry, I just don’t trust any powder that becomes a solid food when you add water to it. Make your own damn mashed taters. It’s not that hard!
39
Frozen Salisbury Steak Meal
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The mac and cheese was always mushy and the steak always had a slightly spongy texture, but we ate them anyway. We were so wrong.
40
Seven-Layer Dip
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Seven-layer dip is bean dip’s cooler, more sophisticated sibling. It was a staple at every group gathering (and, TBH, still is).
41
Meatloaf
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Every time I think of meatloaf, I remember that somebody somewhere thought that “meat, but make it a loaf” was a good idea. IDK, some people just want to watch the world burn.
42
Cocoa Puffs
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Honestly, some of y’all were never cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, and it shows.
43
Boca Burgers
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My mom tried to get me to eat these on the reg, and I think I’m still scarred. Thank god we now live in an era when veggie burgers are actually good.
44
Taco Salad
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Do you think eating more things from edible bowls might solve the world’s plastic problem? It’s worth looking into.
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45
Ruffles and French Onion Dip
Okay, maybe not technically a meal, but raise your hand if you ever accidentally filled up on this unbelievably ’90s combo and couldn’t eat dinner.
46
Frozen Taquitos
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They were always a little bit soggier than they should’ve been and the meat texture was just slightly off, but who cares? Now you can buy an actually delish version at Trader Joe’s. The more you know.
47
Potato Skins
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I’d still house a plate of these at TGIFriday’s any day of the week. Now I kinda wanna make a gourmet version….
48
Alphabet Soup
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Don’t lie, you always tried to eat the letters strategically so that you could spell out your name at the end. A classic game.
49
Mini Quiche
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I literally cannot think of anything that screams “’90s moms getting together for book club but really just talking trash” more than a mini quiche.
50
Stuffed Peppers
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This was the weeknight dinner of my youth. Will I make them tonight and watch Friends for nostalgia’s sake? TBD.
