Getting a healthful, tasty dinner on the table can be a struggle, whether we’re juggling the demands of career and family or we’re simply too busy to shop and cook.
That’s where places such as Litebite on Union Street come in. This self-described gourmet food market, which opened last year, is dedicated to offering freshly prepared meals that are better tasting and better for you than frozen, microwaveable options or traditional fast food. Every à la carte dish is prepared with natural, high-quality ingredients, and not only are the ingredients for each item listed on the menu, but so is its calorie count and points based on systems like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig.
There are a few tables in Litebite’s clean, bright store, but its main business is providing food to take home. The well-rounded menu offers entrées, sides, salads, soups, and sandwiches; you pick and choose from each category to make a meal. Each dish is priced by a single-person portion or by the pound. For example, you can select all-natural chicken enchiladas as an entrée, a side of quinoa with corn and jalapeno or sautéed broccoli rabe. For lunch, you might select the seasonal soup of the day and an oven-roasted chicken breast sandwich with roasted red peppers and pesto on a wheat roll, or a grilled vegetable sandwich and sundried tomatoes on a ciabatta roll.
Other entrées include farmed Atlantic salmon, whole-wheat lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, Moroccan-spiced chicken breast, and a beef skewer. Sides include Asian tofu salad, couscous, French lentil salad, grilled vegetables, and peanut-sesame salad. Caesar salad with chicken or salmon salad with organic kale or arugula serve as good, light lunch or dinner options.
Litebite prides itself on its knowledgeable staff, and it’s true: When quizzed on gluten-free options, the cheerful staffer behind the counter was quick to point out options.
There are always going to be nights when pizza or takeout Chinese is the perfect choice, but for those evenings — particularly weeknights — when you want a flavorful yet healthful meal, Litebite has the formula down right.
Litebite: 1796 Union Street (at Octavia), 415-931-5483, www.litebite.com, Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday–Sunday 10:30 a.m.–7 p.m.
