In my kindergartener’s school, when there were exactly 26 days left for summer vacation to begin, they came up with an interesting agenda of revising ABCs, each alphabet a day until the last working day. To encourage the kids to learn their words enthusiastically, they asked us to send us supporting stuffs daily, as given in the kindergarten calendar. As a foodie mom, I started sending supporting food items in her lunchbox. To start with, I sent Animals shaped Pasta for A-day and my kid was super excited about the alphabet-based food that she carries to school. This gave her an opportunity to talk about her alphabet-based food to her friends and teachers. And this encouraged me to continue sending ABC foods to support the school agenda. Involving my kids in planning and shopping the alphabet themed ingredients made the days much more fun and interesting. As the kids choose the ingredients and the menu with the available choices that we discuss together, kids were more interested in this series and every day, lunch box packing became more exciting and the boxes come home empty with happy faces, describing about the comments and compliments from their friends and teachers. I posted this series as stories in my Instagram handle @Myhealthykiddo and it went viral among my followers. So, compiling a post here will be helpful for moms who wanted to enjoy this experience with their kids. I have given the food that I sent in my kid’s lunch and snack boxes along with the food suggestions for each alphabet, as we discussed many food choices for each alphabet before picking the ones that my kids voted.
Foods starting with letter A:
- Animals shaped Pasta + lots of veggies
- Asparagus stir fry
- Acorn squash sambar/kootu
- Avocado Toast
- Alfredo Pasta
- Aubergine Cheesy bites
- Aloo methi(link)
- Almonds Caramel
- Apple crisp
- Apples
- Apricots
Foods starting with letter B:
- Broccoli rice(link)
- Broccoli stir fry(link)
- Baked Baby potatoes(link)
- Baked potato wedges(link)
- Beetroot rice
- Beetroot stir fry
- Beetroot Fritters(link)
- Beetroot Balls(link)
- Biriyani(link)
- Beetroot Raitha(link)
- Brown rice
- Butternut squash sambar(link)
- Beans stir fry
- Beans usili(link)
- Bitter gourd curry(link)
- Bitter gourd egg rice(link)
- Bitter gourd chips
- Butter beans gravy(link)
- Butter beans stir fry
- Brinjal Burrito Bowl(link)
- Brinjal rice
- Brinjal gothsu(video link)
- Brussel Sprouts curry(link)
- Brussel Sprouts – Honey roasted
- Besan Chilla
- Besan Laddu
- Baby corn rice/bajji
- Butter Biscuits (video link)
- Banana Bread(link)
- Banana cake(link)
- Banana muffins(link)
- Banana
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
Foods starting with letter C:
- Cabbage Capsicum Rice(link)
- Chicken grill(link)
- Chicken Chukka(video link)
- Chayote squash kootu(link)
- Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Stir Fry(link)
- Cauliflower 65/bajji
- Carrot Rice
- Carrot Stir Fry
- Carrot Cake
- Curd Rice
- Curd as an accompaniment
- Coconut Rice(link)
- Cottage cheese paratha/pulao/bhurji
- Coconut chutney as accompaniment
- Cashew dip as accompaniment (video link)
- Cashew burfi/katli (video link)
- Coconut burfi/sweet
- Corn
- Cucumber/Cukes
- Cantaloupe
- Cherries
- Clementines
Foods starting with letter D:
- Donut Dosa
- Dots Dosa
- Dumplings – Multigrains(link)/Millet(link)
- Dates Dip(link)
- Dill leaves adai/dosai
- Drumstick leaves dal(link) with rice
- Dal rice (video link)
- Durum wheat pasta
- Dahi vada
- Dried fruits mix
- Dates
- Dates bread(link)
- Dates and nuts laddoo(video link)
- Dates and figs burfi(video link)
- Dragon fruit
Foods starting with letter E:
- Egg Rice
- Eggplant Cheese Bites
- Energy Bar(link)
- Egg rolls
- Egg frittata
- Egg kothu chapathi(link)
- Egg salad/sandwich
- Edamame curry/stir fry
- Ellu Laddoo(link) / Easy Ellu Laddoo(Video link)
- Ellu Paniyaram(video link)
Foods starting with letter F:
- Fusilli Veggie Fusion(link) – Fusilli is just a type of pasta
- French Fries
- French Toast
- French beans/Field beans stir fry
- Fettuccine Pasta
- Farfalle Pasta
- Fenugreek leaves Pulav(link)
- Fenugreek leaves dal for rice(link)
- Fish grill(link)
- Fish Fingers
- Fried chicken
- Frittata
- Finger millet recipes(link)
- Foxtail Millet dumpling(link)/laddoo(link)/Murukku(link)
- Falafel
- Fruits salad
- Figs
Foods starting with letter G:
- Ghee Rice
- Grilled chicken/veggies/Fish (video link)
- Green dip (with curd) as accompaniment (video link)
- Green dip (without curd) as accompaniment (video link)
- Garbanzo beans rice(link)
- Guacamole with Toast/Rotis/Tortillas(link)
- Gnocchi pasta
- Garlic bread
- Green beans rice/stir fry
- Green peas pulao/stir fry
- Grated carrot rice
- Green gram curry(link)
- Green gram sundal
- Granola(link)
- Granola bar (Use Oats in place of puffed rice in this recipe link)
- Ginger candy (video link)
- Grapes
- Guava
Foods starting with letter H:
- Heart Pancakes(link)/Dosa/Roti/Poori
- Honey as accompaniment
- Horsegram sundal(link)
- Horsegram idli(link) with Horsegram podi(link)
- Horsegram/Kollu Kadayal with rice
- Hung curd
- Honey roasted carrots/Brussel sprouts
- Hash browns
- Hummus
- Halwa
- Hazelnut
- Hemp hearts laddoo (video link)
- Honeydew melon
Foods starting with letter I:
- Idli(link) with Idli podi(link)
- Indigo Idlis(Blueberry or Purple cabbage puree + idli batter. Mix and steam idlis)
- Idiyappam
- Ivy gourd/Kovakkai stir fry
- Ice cream like curd(link)
- Ilai vadaam(link)
- Iced cookies (Almond flour cookies(link)) For the icing, I just heated filtered palm jaggery/karupatti syrup to one string consistency. Off & mixed cacao powder and poured over cookies to form a glossy icing look.
Foods starting with letter J:
- Jeera rice
- Jacket potato. I just used my baked baby potatoes recipe(link). Rather than cutting into half, I poked with fork throughout the potato and made a cross insertion in the middle and baked. Once baked, I made a straight line cut and opened the potato by pushing it inside so that the middle-opened part is mushy. Then added butter, salt, pepper, mozzarella cheese and oregano to the middle-opened part and broiled in High mode for 2 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Jumbo shells pasta
- Jam roll (Roti/dosa/omelette smeared with jam and rolled. Cut & place so that jam is visible in the rolls)
- Jam as accompaniment
- Jam cookies
- Jackfruit seeds stir fry(link)
- Jackfruit
- Jeera cookies
- Jaggery Jamun (Make Jamun and soak in sticky jaggery syrup for 5 hours)
- Jaggery balls. I made using mixed nuts. Recipe same as my Peanut balls(link), just replaced chopped & roasted, mixed nuts with peanuts.
Foods starting with letter K:
- Kale Keerai Kootu(link)
- Kale stir fry(link)
- Kale fritters/vadai(link)
- Kidney beans masala(link)
- Kohlrabi kootu(link)
- Kebab(video link)
- Kothu chapathi(link)
- Kesari
- Kaju Katli(video link)/Karupatti Kaju Katli(video link)
- Karupatti Makhana(video link)
- Karupatti Til laddoo(video link)
- Kamarkat
- Kiwi
Foods starting with letter L:
- Lemon rice(link)
- Lady’s finger stir fry
- Lentils crepe(link)
- Lasagna
- Leeks egg stir fry
- Lettuce in salad
- Liver stir fry(link)
- Lamb grill(link)
- Lobster stir fry
- Laddoo(video link)
- Lotus seeds pops – less spicy (video link) or spicy (video link) or Sweet(video link)
- Lychee
Foods starting with letter M:
- Mac & Cheese
- Minced Meat balls (link)
- Maple syrup as accompaniment
- Mint chutney/thuvayal as accompaniment(link)
- Minty dip as accompaniment (video link)
- Mint rice
- Methi Matar pulao(link)
- Methi Mutton pulao(link)
- Mushroom biriyani
- Mushroom stir fry
- Millet recipes(link)
- Mesal maker recipes
- Makhana – less spicy (video link) or spicy (video link) or Sweet(video link)
- Mango
- Mangosteen
- Mandarins
Foods starting with letter N:
- Noodles
- Nuggets(Chicken – coat with flour(wheat flour+chilli powder+pepper powder+salt) – dip in egg – coat with breadcrumbs – fry in oil)
- Nutty lemon rice(link)
- Nutella dip/spread (just grind roasted peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts(optional), honey, cacao powder to smooth paste)
- Nuts
- Nuts laddoo/lollipop(link)
- Nankhatai
- Nectarine fruit
Foods starting with letter O:
- Onion sambar
- Onion rings
- Onion bajji
- Oats upma
- Omlette
- Omlette in Orange bell pepper rings
- Ompodi(video link)
- Oma biscuit
- Oats biscuit
- Oats bar
- Oats granola
- Oranges
Foods starting with letter P:
- Paneer Peas pulao
- Potato Poha patties or just Potato patties
- Peas stir fry
- Potato Poriyal/stir fry(link)
- Potato wedges(link)
- Paruppu usili(link)
- Poha upma(link)
- Paneer bhurji(link)
- Paneer stuffed Paratha
- Paneer butter masala
- Paneer Pulao
- Palak Paneer(link)
- Penne Pasta
- Phool Makhana – less spicy (video link) or spicy (video link) or Sweet(video link)
- Popcorns
- Poha laddoo
- Puffed rice energy bars(link)
- Puffed rice balls(video link)
- Puffed rice snack(video link)
- Peanut laddoo(video link)
- Peanut balls(link)
- Pecans
- Peaches
- Pomegranates
- Pineapple
Foods starting with letter Q:
- Quinoa khichdi(link)
- Quail eggs
- Quarter cup curd
- Quesadilla (link)
- Quadrefiore pasta (Quadro – Square, Fiore – Flower)
Foods starting with letter R:
- Red sauce Rotini(link)
- Red lentil Rotini
- Roasted Red bell peppers
- Roasted Red bell pepper ketchup/dipping sauce (link)
- Rice paper fryums
- Ragi recipes(link)
- Raspberries
Foods starting with letter S:
- Sweet String hoppers
- Spicy String hoppers
- Sesame seeds stuffed sweet balls(video link)
- Susiyam(video link)
- Spaghetti(link)
- Spinach biriyani(link)
- Spinach mash(link) with rice
- Spinach Paneer(link)
- Spinach stir fry(link)
- Sambar rice
- Salmon Skewers(video link)
- Salmon grilled(link)
- Shrimp 65(link)
- Sardines stirfry(link)
- Saamai kichdi(link)
- Saamai vadaam(link)
- Sago vadai
- Salad
- Sandwich
- Strawberries
Foods starting with letter T:
- Tamarind Rice
- Tomato Rice
- Taro fry(link)
- Thayir pachdi
- Tofu recipes
- Toast
- Tahini as a dip
- Tapioca chips
- Tomato Fryums/vadaam(link)
- Tri-colored burfi/cookie(Milk burfi recipe video link)
- Triangle burfi/cookie(Cashew burfi recipe video link)
- Til laddoo(video link)
Foods starting with letter U:
- Upma
- Upma (Wheat upma recipe video link)
- Upma (Rice upma recipe video link)
- Ulundhu saadham/Urad dal rice
- Ulundhu kali
- Ulundhu bonda
- Ulundhu vadai
- Uttappam
- Ulli chutney
- Upside down Pineapple cake
- Upside down Orange cake (Plain Orange cake recipe link). Add 1 tbsp melted butter to the base of cake tin. Then sprinkle 1 tbsp sugar on it. Then add cake batter over it and bake. Once cooled down, place a plate upside down on top of the cake tin and turn the cake tin upside down, holding the plate intact. Gently tap the bottom of the tin and slowly take out the tin. The cake slides out of the tin easily and upside-down orange cake is ready!
Foods starting with letter V:
- Veg biriyani(link)
- Veg Kola Urundai
- Veg pulav
- Veg cutlet
- Veg noodles
- Vatha kuzhambu
- Vegetables stir fry
- Vaangi bath(Brinjal rice)
- Val (Mochai kottai) curry
- Vada Pav
- Vadai (video link)
- Vadaam(link)
- Varagu Vadagam(link)
Foods starting with letter W:
- Waffles dosai
- Walnut chutney
- Walnut sweet dip
- Watermelon rind kootu with rice
- Walnuts
- Walnuts caramel
- Watermelon
Foods starting with letter X:
- X-ray dumplings
- X-mas cookies/cake
- X-ray vision carrots
- Xtra creamy dip (video link)
Foods starting with letter Y:
- Yellow squash kootu (link)
- Yam fry
- Yellow peppers stir fry
- Yellow fruits salad (Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Apricot, Muskmelon)
- Yogurt(link)
- Yogurt topped with yellow fruits
- Yellow Yogurt (Just grind mango with raw brown sugar and whisk it with hung curd)
Foods starting with letter Z:
- Ziti pasta
- Zucchini baked fingers
- Zucchini stir fry
- Zucchini kootu with rice
- Zucchini Zinger
- Zinger burger
- Zebra cookies (white & chocolate dough)
- Zebra burfi (Cashews & sesame seeds dough) – (Cashew burfi video link) – (Sesame seeds laddoo dough video link)
If you still can’t choose any, look at the list of pasta types and you will almost find most of the alphabets in this list(link).
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