Tired evenings happen. Cooking from scratch when exhausted produces frustration, snappiness, and often family takeaways at significant cost. Frozen meals (homemade portions or quality store-bought) prevent meal-prep crises.
What works
Batch cooking on Sundays — extra portions frozen. Quality ready meals stocked for emergency nights (M&S, Cook, Charlie Bigham's). Frozen vegetables for instant additions to anything. Frozen pasta sauces.
When to use them
Worst day of week. After long commutes. When children are demanding. When ill or low energy. Most weeks, 1-2 nights benefit from the frozen option.
Stop apologising for using them. Frozen meals didn't fail anyone; they're modern household infrastructure. Most families benefit from having 5-8 frozen meal options always available.