Some nights, I just don't feel like making dinner. OK, most nights.

So I've fallen into the habit of feeding my family food that is tasty and healthy, but most of all convenient.

But how much does that convenience cost? Though the economy isn't nearly as bad as last fall, many families still have a hard time affording any luxuries. So to help gauge the cost of convenience, my family (husband Alex and 8-month-old daughter Caroline) decided to go without convenience foods for seven days.

The first hurdle comes in defining "convenience food." Does bread count? What about salad dressing? Have I sentenced myself to a week of culturing my own yogurt and smoking my own bacon?

After talking with several friends and co-workers, we decided our family could still eat anything that's considered a basic ingredient. Bread is part of a sandwich, so it's OK. However, as a snack or a side dish, it's not OK.

We also decided not to use any food from a box, a can or the freezer. Everything, including baby food, must be made of basic ingredients. For one week, I did not buy anything pre-packaged or in any way prepared.

There were some exceptions. Caroline still needed infant formula a few times a day. We were allowed to eat out, but only if it was planned. This included Alex's working lunches, but it was not OK to pick up takeout on the way home.

With that established, we were ready to go. What we found was that convenience does come with a price.

Monday » I work from home on Mondays, so it seems like a good day to start. Alex has to leave for work early, so he has plain yogurt with strawberries. I don't have to get up as early, so I skip breakfast and give Caroline her morning bottle.

For lunch, Alex packs a salad and a nectarine. I also have a salad and feed Caroline raspberries and plain yogurt. After I've turned off the computer for the day, Caroline and I head to the store to buy ingredients for the week's dinners.

I decide to make meals similar to the premade ones I regularly use. Tonight's pick is cedar plank salmon, which I usually get from the grocery deli. A large piece is $8.99, a bit pricey, but only five minutes to heat up. So for our experiment, I ask the butcher for a salmon fillet, at $9.89, and get a $3.49 piece of cedar plank. Geez, it's only the first day and I'm already losing money.

Once home, I gear up for a full night of cooking. I soak the plank, make a rub for the salmon and start making cheddar cheese scones. I cut up zucchini and yellow squash to steam.

While waiting for Alex to arrive, I start making baby food and choose quinoa, given that all other grain-based recipes require some sort of convenience food, such as polenta mix. I toast the quinoa, then cook it in water, making two batches, one plain and one with Parmesan cheese. I portion them out in a muffin tin and freeze them for use during the week.

Alex puts the salmon on the grill, while I poach a small bit for Caroline.

After dinner, I return to the kitchen to prep for Tuesday, which I already can tell will be the toughest day. In some families, Tuesday means meatloaf, but for a Tribune reporter, it means city council meetings. This is when premade dinners, usually about $15, come in handy, or I grab something on the way home.

Instead, I pull out my crock pot to make a soup. I assemble all the ingredients and begin soaking the beans overnight. I'll add them in the morning and turn on the pot. A similar soup at Dream Dinners (where you assemble meals from prepared ingredients to take home) costs around $11, but mine is about $9. Finally, I'm saving money, if not time.

I also make my own lunch, another salad. I usually like to shred rotisserie chicken, $6.99, for lunches, but instead Alex grills a couple of chicken breasts, about $2 each. I shred them, grate cheese and grab fruit and a leftover scone as sides. I estimate my costs at $7, roughly the same I would pay for a sandwich at The Gateway's food court or for my favorite frozen pasta bowl with a side of fruit.

Tuesday » The week's craziest day begins at breakfast with me trying plain yogurt and raspberries, which is Caroline's favorite food. I gag on the first bite and feel like a terrible mother. I quickly scramble an egg, while recycling my breakfast as Caroline's lunch, adding some plain quinoa. At the last second, I realize she needs a snack while being watched by a friend, and the baby crackers she generally gets break the rules. I grab a piece of whole wheat bread, grate parmesan cheese and toast it. Cut into fingers, it looks pretty good.

I get home early for a Tuesday, around 7:30 p.m. The soup is ready, Alex has tossed corn on the grill and we have leftover scones. Caroline eats cooked beans smashed with corn.

Wednesday » The morning brings more scrambled eggs and fruit for the adults, bottle for baby. I love Wednesdays, because Caroline goes to my mom's house, and we all meet there for dinner. Everyone gets replays of Tuesday's lunches.

It's nice not to worry about dinner. My mom loves cooking and always makes something tasty. In a twist, she's in a rush to attend a Real Salt Lake game and has made a Dream Dinner. We eat, feeding Caroline parmesan quinoa and bits of flank steak and fresh vegetables off our plates.

At home for the night, I get a sweet tooth. I know the prospect of making something from scratch should dissuade me from the calories, but I just can't resist and I make peanut butter-chocolate chip cookies, which last all week.

Thursday » My second day of working from home, and I decide to try a smoothie. I add fresh berries, plain yogurt, milk and, guiltily, a bit of sugar. Not as good as the ones I buy, but tolerable.

For lunch, Caroline and I have leftover salmon and squash. I steam and puree the remaining squash, freezing it for Caroline later in the week.

Alex goes to a co-worker's farewell lunch, and ends up working late, delaying dinner. Some of my favorite Dream Dinners are chicken breasts with various pan sauces, which usually cost about $15 for three servings. I decide to make something similar for about $11. Though it takes only about 40 minutes to make dinner, we don't eat until around 8:30, just in time to put Caroline to bed at 9.

Friday » Alex makes breakfast on his day home with Caroline. It's leftover scones (the recipe made 16) and mixed fruit.

I'm looking forward to my usual lunch out with co-workers and pay $16.49, with tip, for shrimp, potatoes, salad, bread and a drink. At home Alex has leftover soup, while Caroline eats quinoa, yogurt and grated cucumber.

We're having friends for dinner, and I'm making Kalbi chicken, a Hawaiian-Asian dish. Alex has already marinated the chicken and will handle the grill, so I'm in charge of side dishes. One must-have is fresh pineapple, which I usually buy in pre-cut spears for about $4.50. Instead we buy a whole pineapple for $3.49, which is good, but preparing it is an absolute pain.

Saturday » Ah, the weekend, and a break from cooking for myself. We sleep in a bit, give Caroline her bottle, and I make yummy muffins to eat with jam made from our apricot tree. For lunch, Caroline and I go to a baby shower.

Tonight is a co-worker's wedding, and we feast on salmon, prime rib, salad, cheesy potatoes and veggies. We rejoice in saving the $30 or more we would have spent dining out.

Sunday » We wake up late and are in a huge rush to make church. Alex and I skip breakfast, grabbing a bottle for Caroline. For lunch, instead of cold-cut sandwiches or some other convenience lunch, we make a brunch of spinach and cheese omelets, with leftover muffins. Caroline has a muffin and plain eggs.

For dinner, we go as planned to my grandma's house, where she stuffs us full of goodies.

So now, the big question -- did we save any money? Yes, about $5 a day, which translates to more than $1,800 a year -- but I don't know if it's worth it. Much of my "together time" with Caroline during the week was spent with her watching me cook. I missed out on a lot of snuggling and reading stories. Our family also ate a lot later than normal, because cooking from scratch took more time. And don't even get me started on the pineapple.

So, although I felt a great sense of accomplishment by cooking more and spending less, I wonder whether it's worth paying extra for convenience, especially if it means spending more time with family?

kdrake@sltrib.com