Forget coffee! Refuel and rev up your system with these healthy, high energy lunches for work days.
Are you testing out the latest exercise craze? Cranking up the intensity on your usual workout? Or maybe about to take on a day jam-packed with work, meetings, and numerous other obligations? If you’re not nourishing properly, times like these could drain your energy, leaving you exhausted and unable to give it your all. Luckily, Skinny Ms. is here to help! Say buh-bye to yawns and 3 PM crashes. With these 21 high-energy lunches for work days, you’ll have that necessary oomph that will allow you to approach anything with the focus, drive and attentiveness you need.
21 High-Energy Lunches for Work Days
1. Creamy Brown Rice, Apple, and Broccoli Salad
This salad is full of two high-energy foods: apples and brown rice! The creaminess adds a savory consistency, and the nutrient-dense ingredients will have you feeling good about this truly amazing salad dish.
Try it: Creamy Brown Rice, Apple, and Broccoli Salad
2. Orange Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
This recipe combines two superfoods in one delicious lunch! Not to mention the quinoa is overflowing with health benefits, such as containing riboflavin, which promotes energy production in cells and improves your metabolism altogether. Your friends will thank you if you save some leftovers to cure their exhausted, zombie-like mentalities.
Try it: Orange Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
3. Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Coconut Curried Kale and Chickpeas
This dish is stuffed sweet potato, sweet kale, and the perfect punch of protein thanks to the chickpeas! If you’re a sweet potato fanatic and can’t get enough of the mouthwatering squash, don’t worry!
Try it: Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Coconut Curried Kale and Chickpeas
4. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Wrap
If you’re in the mood for a more traditional lunch food, try this wrap! It relies heavily on legumes for its protein content, wrapping them up to form a delicious high-energy food.
Try it: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Wrap
5. Thai Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
This Thai-inspired dish is guaranteed to keep your energy levels up! At the same time, the significant volume that soup consumes in your stomach will keep you feeling full and satisfied for the whole day.
Try it: Thai Roasted Sweet Potato Soup
**Dishes featuring brown rice will get you pumped for the rest of your day, whether it’s at work or at the gym. If you’re wondering why the following recipes call for brown rice, it’s because this alternative to white rice is so much more nutritious. Take a look at 3 Important Reasons to Swap White Rice for Brown to learn why!
6. Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Poached Eggs, & Avocado
This refreshing recipe will rev up your metabolism and deliver you slow-releasing energy that will actually last. It also calls for avocado, which adds additional nutrients!
Try it: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Poached Eggs, & Avocado
7. Black Bean and Brown Rice Salad
This lunch is simple and delicious. Get your protein from the richness of black beans, while retaining energy from the brown rice.
Try it: Black Bean and Brown Rice Salad
8. Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken and Rice
Although this lunch may take a bit longer to prepare, that first tangy, flavorful bite will remind you that it was worth every second! Also, the combination of chicken and brown rice is an absolute classic, and super effective fuel to power through the rest of your day.
Try it: Slow Cooker Adobo Chicken and Rice
9. Greek Rice Stuffed Peppers
These Greek peppers are an absolute hit. Not only are they tasty, but they’re a great example of a lunch composed of high energy foods! As a bonus, you can feel extra good about the vitamin C and vitamin E in bell peppers, which rev up your immune system and give your skin a youthful glow.
Try it: Greek Rice Stuffed Peppers
10. Flounder with Brown Rice, Tomatoes & Fresh Thyme
This hearty, filling dish is packed with protein and high energy for someone who has a full plate at work! It’s also loaded with vitamins and minerals, granting this meal something to brag about.
Try it: Flounder with Brown Rice, Tomatoes & Fresh Thyme
11. Asian Coconut Rice with Steamed Vegetables
This Asian-inspired dish is great for anyone with a sweet tooth! The coconut flavor in the rice will satisfy your sugar cravings, and the vegetables will fill you up without adding inches to your waistline.
Try it: Asian Coconut Rice with Steamed Vegetables
**Time to get your fruit fix! These next recipes feature high energy lunches for work made from bananas, apples, and oranges.
12. Chunky Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
This classic take on a PB&J sandwich is an energy-lover’s dream! The natural sugars in bananas and peanut butter add a delectable, guilt-free sweetness. And both elements are high-energy foods guaranteed to fuel you with vitality and drive.
Try it: Chunky Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich
13. Endive & Apple Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing
This beautiful salad is juicy, filling and full of energy-boosting goodness!
Try it: Endive & Apple Salad with Vinaigrette Dressing
14. Feta, Apple, and Arugula Quesadillas
If you want a more portable lunch, try these savory Quesadillas, guaranteed to up your alertness levels, and keep your stomach happy until dinner.
Try it: Feta, Apple, and Arugula Quesadillas
15. Super-C Salad
Not only is this salad an energy-boosting dish, but it keeps away scurvy to boot. Bon Appetit!
Try it: Super-C Salad
**The next few recipes feature almonds, spinach, eggs, and salmon—four super foods loaded with nutrients that we promise will wake you up and keep you focused.
16. Spiced Coconut Tomato Soup with Brown Rice, Almonds and Paneer
If you’re a soup lover, try this double-energy dish! The brown rice grants you that much-needed carb fix while the almonds provide a yummy crunch, pairing perfectly together to form a healthy lunch.
Try it: Spiced Coconut Tomato Soup with Brown Rice, Almonds and Paneer
17. Baked Chicken Rollatini with Spinach
This chicken dish is great for any Skinny Ms. working from home. It will keep you healthy, satisfied and energized. And don’t worry about tomorrow’s lunch! Make a little extra and store in the fridge overnight.
Try it: Baked Chicken Rollatini with Spinach
18. Spinach and Feta Lettuce Wrap
This vegetarian-friendly wrap steps away from the traditional wheat wraps, and into a crunchy, refreshing lettuce wrap world. It’s great for a quick energy boost, too!
Try it: Spinach and Feta Lettuce Wrap
19. Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Chicken
Though you can’t prepare this at your office, this lunch packs an energy punch we promise you’ll notice! The extra time you spend preparing this meal will be worth it, no doubt.
Try it: Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Chicken
20. Spinach and Artichoke Quiche Cups
Full of high-energy foods, these quiche cups combine eggs and spinach, delivering a dose of brain food, and artichoke for delicious flavor.
Try it: Spinach and Artichoke Quiche Cups
21. Protein Salmon and Eggs on Toast
Salmon and Eggs marry well together. The protein-rich, low-carb combo will allow you to slowly release energy throughout the day without the crash!
Try it: Protein Salmon and Eggs on Toast
That sums it up for our high energy lunches for work. So next time you’re tempted to reach for a cup of coffee for a quick pick-me-up, give these effective lunches a try instead for lasting energy without the crash.
We need your feedback! Go to the comments section to let us know what you think of this article, and tell us what you’d like to see more of!
Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the best health tips, recipes, and more!
