My Food Philosophy: Eva Longoria on her go-to breakfast, eating for joy + choosing booze over pudding

Actress Eva Longoria, 47, has always been a foodie. Take a quick peek at her Instagram and you'll find her whipping up orange sorbet, showing off perhaps the most beautiful eggplant Milanese you've ever seen, and sharing her restaurant menu-worthy chicken salad crostini.

'I’ve been cooking for 20 years and I may not be a chef, but I’m a really good cook,' she tells Women's Health US. And, since Eva isn’t one for measuring and no food is off the table in her diet (we love) you can pretty much sum up her eating philosophy in one word: adventure.

'No fear,' she says. 'You see everyone making sourdough bread or croissants these days and I really enjoy challenging myself.' For Eva, cooking—and eating!—is all about fun. 'Cooking is such a great outlet,' she says. 'The other day I made Caesar salad—which I’m not a fan of but my husband loves—and I tested out four different dressings to figure out which was the best one.'

In order to keep her eats as adventurous as they seem, Eva sticks to just one rule: 'I’m not about guilt,' she says. Here’s how a typical day of her kitchen experiments and balanced eats plays out.

Breakfast

Eva spends a lot of time in Mexico—and that means her breakfasts have been more delicious than ever. 'Breakfast is a big thing in Mexico; bigger than in the United States,' she says. 'There’s so much variety.'

Many mornings, Eva enjoys traditional dishes like chilaquiles (which involves fried tortillas, salsa, and toppings like beans and cheese) and huevos rancheros.

Some days, though, she puts her baking skills to the test on some of her favourite breakfast foods. 'I’ll wake up early to get the dough going and make homemade bagels,' she says. Or, 'my new thing is croissants. I took a MasterClass on making them. The whole process takes about 18 days. It’s fun stuff.'

Lunch

After enjoying a hearty, delish breakfast, Eva isn’t ready for lunch until later in the day. 'In Mexico, like in Europe, lunch is usually a lot later—like four or five in the afternoon,' Eva says. Like breakfast, lunch is an event—and Eva loves it.

View full post on Instagram

Whether it's homemade pasta (yes, she makes it from scratch) or her go-to chicken tacos with tomatillo salsa, lunch is anything but boring. No sad sandwiches here!

Snacks

If Eva munches in between meals, it’s on something salty. 'Salty is totally my jam,' she says. Usually, she goes for quick eats, like olives (which are a totally underrated snack, IMO) or potato chips.

Dinner

Since breakfast and lunch are such major meals for Eva, dinner is usually light. 'Usually, we’ve just finished lunch at like six and it’s like 9:30 by the time we eat dinner and we’re going to go to bed soon,' she says.

Her go-to late-night meal: soup. 'Today I'm making Italian wedding soup,' she says. 'I found the New York times recipe and it's so freaking good.'

Dessert

Here's the deal, folks: Eva is not a sweets person. 'I make cookies at least twice a week just to have on the counter for my husband and family, but I’m not big into the dessert thing.' she says.

Instead, Eva says she prefers to treat her self with a nice drink. 'I get my calories from alcohol. That's my favourite way to unwind at the end of the day,' she says. 'If I have a choice, I’d rather drink a Stella than eat a dessert.'

Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER