2 Protein-Packed Plant-Based Lunches To Power You Through The Workday

If your work lunch usually involves a limp sandwich or a panic-bought wrap that leaves you hungry by 3pm, listen up. In a new YouTube video, Dr Rupy Aujla of The Doctor’s Kitchen teams up with Sophie Waplington of Soph’s Plant Kitchen to tackle one of the most overlooked meals of the weekday: lunch. Specifically, the kind of lunch you can take to work without compromising on flavor, nutrition, or protein.

Dr Rupy, an NHS GP and passionate advocate for food as medicine, has built a wide-reaching following through his evidence-based recipes and engaging explainer content. Waplington is a personal trainer and plant-based recipe developer known for her satiating, protein-forward vegan creations. Together, they whip up two nutritious salad jars designed to keep you energized, focused, and feeling full well past the afternoon slump.

“Lunch is often a meal that is hard to keep healthy,” Dr Rupy says at the start of the video. “You usually only have overpriced options, soggy sandwiches that are low in protein.”

Their solution? Two travel-friendly salad jars that not only taste amazing but also pack a serious protein punch. These jars aren’t just about nutrients. They’re colorful, affordable, and designed to be prepped ahead and taken to work.

Below, we break down each salad jar and why these nutritious meals deliver far more than just convenience.

Read more: ‘I Tried TikTok’s Viral High-Protein Vegan Meals’

Ginger miso noodle salad jar – 28g of protein

The first recipe is a zesty, Asian-inspired noodle salad that packs both flavor and fuel. The base is 100 percent buckwheat soba noodles, which provide around 14 grams of protein per 100 grams. Waplington layers it with blanched broccoli, grated carrot, radish, red cabbage, edamame, and smoked tofu cubes, creating a jar full of crunch, color, and texture.

The real star, though, is the dressing: a punchy mix of fresh lime juice, grated ginger, garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, and miso paste.

Each ingredient is strategically layered – tougher veg like cabbage and carrot at the top to stay crisp, noodles and tofu below to soak up flavor. “Stick with slightly harder veg. It lasts better in the fridge and won’t go soggy,” Waplington advises.

A final spoon of sauerkraut adds gut-friendly probiotics. Each component not only adds crunch and color but also contributes to the overall protein content. The tofu alone brings in around 16 grams of protein per 100 grams, and with edamame, seeds, and noodles, this jar is as functional as it is flavorful.

Sweet potato rainbow salad jar – 33g of protein

The second jar, featured in Waplington’s new cookbook, lives up to its name, with vibrant layers of roasted sweet potato, charred corn, pickled red cabbage, black beans, quinoa, kale, and red pepper. The showstopper, though, is the spicy, cheesy tofu cream made by blending tofu with nutritional yeast, a splash of oil, and a hint of seasoning.

“Nutritional yeast, which is a great source of plant-based protein, is around 50 percent protein,” Dr Rupy notes. “It’s pretty phenomenal.”

Charred corn adds a smoky edge, while the kale gets a quick massage with olive oil and salt to soften it and enhance flavor. Waplington also recommends pre-massaging kale as soon as you buy it to reduce waste and make it salad-ready all week long.

The quinoa, layered at the bottom, soaks up all the flavor from above. The salad, topped with pumpkin seeds for crunch and even more protein, contains a whopping 33 grams of protein and 18 grams of fiber.

Two affordable and delicious plant-based lunches

Whether you’re working from home or packing up a lunch for the office, these jars prove that healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or complicated. And if you’re looking to up your plant-based protein game, Waplington’s staples – like tofu, lentil pasta, edamame, canned beans, quinoa, and tahini – are a great place to start.

As Waplington puts it, “You want to be combining your plant-based protein sources throughout the day. If you can do it in one recipe – amazing!”

Want more nutrition info and healthy recipes? Visit the YouTube channels of The Doctor’s Kitchen and Soph’s Plant Kitchen.

Read more: High-Protein Vegan Meal Prep: 7 Easy Mix And Match Meals