Motivated behaviors such as feeding, drinking, and social behaviors, and the ability to efficiently switch between them, are essential for survival. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) plays a central role in orchestrating motivated behaviors. As there is minimal local synaptic communication within the LH, long-range synaptic input is critical to LH neural computations. In particular, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), which integrates complex information about the environment, projects to the LH. However, it is unknown when mPFC to LH projection neurons are active. In this study, we combine in vivo calcium imaging with miniscopes and an automated open-design environment, termed the Drivemaze, to investigate mPFC to LH projection neuron activity during naturalistic motivated behaviors. Our results reveal that animals employ specific behavioral strategies based on homeostatic needs, adapting to changes in resource locations within the maze. Subsets of PFC to LH neurons exhibit activity during both appetitive and consummatory behavioral components. These findings enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms governing motivated behavior specifically the coordination of LH cell populations through forebrain inputs. From a translational perspective, our study can offer further insights into neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by dysregulated motivated behavior and impaired mPFC functioning.