Finding Friday Treats as a Vegan Family

Being a vegan family and eating out can definitely be tricky. Luckily, there are tips and tricks we use to find fun ways to find food at most places.

Each week, we go on a hunt for “Friday Treat” where we celebrate the end of the week and trying our best all week.  It was a tradition that started last year when my kids heard it from a friend in Pre-K.  I always try to find something new and exciting for the kids so that they don’t get bored and have something to look forward to at the end of the day. Luckily, we’ve recently been introduced to two amazing local places that accommodated our dietary needs and had delicious vegan treats for us to enjoy.

The first place is a cute little gem at the Simi Valley Town Center. I feel so sad to continue to see the Town Center without the hustle and bustle it used to have.  So many spots are desolate and new businesses keep trying to make it there.  I keep wishing that we will get more stores and fun places to do different things. I was getting my hair done at a local salon in Simi and my hair stylist, Liz, told me about Meera’s Minis hidden in the Town Center. They make mini churros, pancakes, waffles, and crepes. The restaurant is so cute with its fun vibe and main color of different shades of purple. Not only do they have super cute, delicious food, they also have great drinks like the Lavender Lemonade and tons of coffee options. They also have a cute little lounge area where you can work and the shop offers free wifi.

I called ahead as I always do to make sure they had vegan or plant-based options for us.  I know now, after several sad faces, not to take the kids to a place without calling first to make sure we can eat there.

Not only did they sit on the phone with me to make sure they understood what I needed, they asked for my order ahead of time so they could have the batter ready.  They could do the mini pancakes and mini waffles plant-based, but not the churros or crepes.  So, we got an order of their mini pancakes and two orders of their mini waffles. They have a generous list of toppings to choose from to make your treat even better.  We got chocolate drizzle and powdered sugar on our pancakes, maple syrup and Fruity Pebbles on one order of mini waffles, and strawberry syrup with crushed oreos on our second order.  (Yes, original Oreos are vegan!!).

    

I sincerely hope that they make it and stay open in the Town Center. The people working there are amazing and so kind. They are very patient and worked with all our requests.  My kids were of course bouncing off the walls after a long week and tons of sugar, and they were totally understanding.  I highly recommend their shop for your next sweet fix!

Another amazing place is Coaches Ice Cream Parlor.  We had never even heard of this shop before but luckily we found it randomly. On a quick 2 hour break between our kids’ back-to-school night presentations, we were searching for dinner with a nice glass of wine. Of course, we headed straight to Carrara’s in Moorpark.

As we were walking in, we saw Coaches Ice Cream Parlor a few doors down. We thought we would check it out to see if they had something our family could enjoy for a Friday Treat. We were pleasantly surprised with the long list of dairy-free ice creams they had ready to go. I tried the “Oats A Goody” made with oat milk and peanut butter swirls and my husband tried the “Soy Cinnamon Churro.”  Both were absolutely delicious and we knew our kids would LOVE it there.

Coaches offers all sorts of toppings from nuts to sprinkles to Butterfinger pieces (my all time favorite and I wish they would make a vegan version). You can get a cute baseball hat for your ice cream just like at a major league game or you can get the waffle cones.  We weren’t able to try the waffle cones because they have both milk and eggs but they did look delicious and they’re made right on site. The price is fully reasonable and the portions are a great size.  They even have two locations; one in Moorpark and one in Newbury Park.  I hear they even have special flavors for each holiday season.

When I took the kids the next day, they were so excited.  They are always begging for vegan ice cream.  All three of them tried the “Soy Mint Chocolate Chip.”  They were in heaven and we even brought some home for their daddy because that is his favorite flavor.  The “Oats a Goody” was so good the night before that I had to have it again the next day.  Each of the kids had to get their ice cream in a baseball hat and of course, added toppings.  The kids ask all the time if we could go back again. We will definitely be going back to try another flavor on the long list.  I mean, we have to compare each flavor, right?  Let’s make sure that we support this local, nostalgic ice cream parlor so we can enjoy all the delicious flavors for years to come!

  

I would love to hear any other recommendations you might have for our Friday Vegan Treat days or for finding a new fun place for dinner with our kids. We truly love exploring and supporting local! Till next Friday…