Between work, school, homework, sports and other extracurricular activities, it's hard to sit down to dinner together. And, even if there is time to eat as a family, cooks can be so time pressed that it's often take out, frozen pizza, or the same old standards night after night.

But a chef-inspired, family friendly dinner at home is possible. There's no need to apologize for taking shortcuts, and these days, you can find a wide range of options in the frozen food aisle.

For example, frozen meats and seafood offer a variety of ways to give you a jump-start on tasty meals such as chicken parmesan with fettuccine, tortilla chicken pasta sauté or flatbread pizza with parmesan chicken. Even simple salads such as pecan chicken salad and tortilla chicken salad bowl take on new flavor dimensions with the easy addition of pre-seasoned frozen chicken breast entrees.