Camila and Matthew McConaughey's Kids Get to Eat 'Whatever They Want on Fridays'

Camila and Matthew McConaughey's Kids Get to Eat 'Whatever They Want on Fridays' "We keep it very healthy for them, but they have their off days," Camila tells PEOPLE

By Dahvi Shira Dahvi Shira Dahvi Shira is a former staff writer and reporter at PEOPLE. She left PEOPLE in 2014.People Editorial GuidelinesPublished on March 7, 2014 11:35AM ESTComments

Credit : Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Friday is probably the favorite day of the week for Camila and Matthew McConaughey‘s kids.

“Every Friday, they get to have whatever they want to eat, whether it’s burgers or whatever,” Camila, 31 – who has three children with her hubby of a year-and-a-half – told PEOPLE this week.

“And they get to stay up late and watch a movie.”

The rule probably doesn’t apply to their 15-month-old son Livingston, but when the other two – Levi, 5½ and Vida, 4 – aren’t getting their day to do whatever, the children’s parents make

sure their little ones abide by a lifestyle that involves “balance.”

Explained Camila: “I think that kids need direction and guidance. We keep it very healthy for them, but they have their off days. If they’re at a birthday party, I’m not going to tell them

not to eat the cake when everyone else is eating the cake. My son doesn’t even care for sweets. I find that kids really gravitate towards what you teach them.”

When it comes to her own eating habits, the Brazilian beauty maintains the same ideal she sets for her children.

“I’m not an extremist with food,” Camila, who swears by putting turmeric and cinnamon in anything she can, said. “I think you have to find a balance and find what works for your body and

what doesn’t. I’m a huge fan of chocolate. I can wake up and eat it. But I wasn’t feeling well after I ate it, so now I don’t really have it all the time anymore. If you like to eat and you

like to have fun here and there, you shouldn’t feel guilty about it as long as you have a balance.”

What also helps keep a healthy household is home cooking.

“[I cook] all the time, all the time,” Camila said. “I’m going to the grocery store, buying the groceries, making the lists. I would say fish is one thing that I’m good at cooking. I love

the branzino that I cook. And I love doing salads. You can just add vegetables. You get that fulfillment that you need without adding too many calories to it.”

Putting her passion for food and fashion to use, the model has collaborated with Wendy’s and style site Polyvore to help women “marry nutrition with fashion and have fun with it,” she said,

explaining that the fast food restaurant has launched two new salads – Asian cashew chicken and BBQ ranch chicken – and “we’re incorporating fashion into the inspiration of the salads. So,

we’re taking the salad and looking at it and thinking, ‘Okay, what fashion inspirations do I get from the salad? Is it from the items that are put in the salad? Is it from the colors? The

flavor?’ ”

Matthew McConaughey: ‘I Have a Lot to Be Thankful For’ On March 19, Camila will show her inspiration board and others can post their own, using hers for reference. Four women will win

$1,000.

But Camila has more on her plate than just food.

Fresh off the heels of supporting her Academy Award-winning husband Matthew through his glorious awards season sweep for the role of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, Camila says, “Oh, man, I think

I need a week to recover – at least!”

Calling the whole experience “a long run,” she adds, “It was a lot of fun and now it’s time to rest up.”

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