Need an afternoon pickup that fuels you for your after work run? Check out this Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl that’ll get you ready for your after work run!
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by USA Rice. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me and make this blog possible. All opinions are my own.
I know fall goal races are just around the corner and a few of my running peeps have mentioned having to grab a mid day coffee with their lunch to get their bodies’ ready for their post-work training run. After some talking, I thought why not make your lunch work for you? And by work for you I mean make it your fuel for your run.
Firstly, I wanted to make a meal that’s easy to pack. This Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl is easy to put into a bento box to pack for work and reheat. This Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl also works in a layered mason jar if you choose to so there was plenty of fun easy ways to pack this for work.
So let’s break down what’s in this Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl and what makes it so amazing.
- USA Brown Rice
Runners, I know you didn’t choose the carb life but the carb life chose you so let’s start with the rice. I used a quick cook brown rice that only takes 20 minutes max to cook on the stove so you can make everything else while the rice is cooking. Rice also provides more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals including, folic acid, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, selenium, fiber, iron and zinc while being gluten free so if you can’t have gluten and need some carbs for your run, consider rice. There is also more carbohydrates than potatoes for the same serving size of rice! (To learn more about the benefits of eating USA Rice, visit riceinfo.com)
- Caffeine
Instead of needing to grab a midday coffee, this recipe cooks the rice with green tea so there is caffeine infused into your rice!
- Chicken
Protein is the building block of muscles. Your body needs protein to create new cells, manage tissues as well as build and repair muscles that you damage when you are pounding on the pavement during your training cycle. The chicken in this Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl gives you the protein you need before your run.
- Greens
The “green” in Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl is not just referring to the green tea in the recipe! This rice bowl also has a ton of greens in it! We have broccoli, edamame, and edamame in its shell. Eat yo veggies friends!
Essentially, this lunch is packed with the food you need to fuel you for an after work run. It’s packed with what you need as a runner (carbs from the rice and protein from the chicken) in addition to having a dose of caffeine in it so you can skip your midday coffee!
Tip: I used bagged tea (genmaicha) so there won’t be loose leaves in your rice. I boiled the water with the tea bag in it before adding the rice.
Green Tea Power Protein Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup (304 grams) USA Brown Rice
- 1 bag green tea
- 2 chicken breast
- 1 crown broccoli
- 1 cup (240 grams) edamame shelled
- 1 cup (240 grams) edamame
Instructions
- Bring your water to a boil and cook your rice (check the box for the rice and water ratio). Tip: When you cook your rice, boil the water with the tea bag in it before adding the rice so the tea can cook into the rice better
- While the water is boiling, you can bake your chicken (seasoned to your preference) or cook it on the stove top on a cast iron. If you choose to oven bake your chicken, bake it at 400F for around 20 minutes.
- Bring another pot of water to boil and once it's boiled, lower the heat to medium and place your broccoli and edamame in to cook (leave it uncovered).
- Tada! In the twenty minutes it takes for your rice to cook, you have your chicken done and your veggies. Serve right away or pack it for your work lunch.
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Abbey Sharp
October 3, 2017 at 10:50 amLoving this protein packed meal. I’m also obsessed with edamame so I’m definitely bookmarking this recipe!
Rebecca
October 3, 2017 at 3:33 pmLove all the green! this looks so easy & tasty
GiGi Eats
October 3, 2017 at 3:47 pmIf I could eat rice, I would. I loved rice – white rice for sure, brown was starting to grow on me when I was diagnosed with all my issues. I am sure I would love it now. Sadly it all gets STUCK… And that’s all I am going to say, you don’t need to know the gory details, haha!
Christina
October 3, 2017 at 4:41 pmI LOVE cooking with tea! This is a great idea – I’ll have to try this in my rice cooker!
Kalee
October 4, 2017 at 10:37 amYum! I love bowl recipes like this!
Angela @marathonsandmotivation.com
October 4, 2017 at 3:33 pmYum! This looks absolutely amazing!! I can’t wait to try it!!