Dinnertime Crunch Series

School's in session, extracurricular activities have begun, and the family's schedule is crazier than ever. Having a family dinner — one where everyone sits down together to eat and talk about their days — may sound daunting when juggling so many schedules, but it isn't impossible.

To accomplish the family dinner, we turned to some of our favorite celebrity chefs and restaurateurs — all parents themselves — to sneak a peek at the 30-minute meals they prepare for their own families. With chefs like Everyday Foods' Sarah Carey, Weelicious's Catherine McCord, Jessica Seinfeld, Michael Chiarello, and more sharing everything from tacos and paninis to grilled shrimp and pretzel-crusted chicken, we've got more than a month of school-night dinners right at your fingertips. Take a look, and then tell us which work best for your family!

Our tasty and easy Dinnertime Crunch series continues with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs sharing their favorite 30-minute weeknight dinners that help Mom and Dad spend more time with the kids each night. Today's recipes come from Martha Stewart Everyday Food editor in chief Sarah Carey.

With two school-aged kids at home — Hayden, 8, and Mickayla, 9 — Sarah Carey knows all about the Dinnertime Crunch. As the editor of Everyday Food, Sarah has a vast library of weeknight meals at her fingertips, but finding those that allow Mom and Dad to enjoy dinner too is no easy feat. From a "perfect every time" roast chicken to her aunt's beef taco recipe, Sarah took a few minutes to share her favorite quick and easy meals with us. Check them out!

Our tasty and easy Dinnertime Crunch series continues with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs sharing their favorite 30-minute weeknight dinners that help Mom and Dad spend more time with the kids each night. Today's recipes come from Michael Chiarello, chef and owner of Napa's critically acclaimed restaurant Bottega.

Sandwiches aren't just for lunchtime anymore! When heated and pressed into panini form, the ordinary sandwich transforms into a warm meal that is perfect for dinner. Michael Chiarello, the award-winning chef behind Napa Valley's Bottega and the founder of the NapaStyle lifestyle brand, says the warm sandwiches were a favorite of his daughters. The father of four tells us that paninis make great back-to-school dishes that are not only family favorites, but meals that the kids can help make too! Keep reading for two of his family's favorites!

Our tasty and easy Dinnertime Crunch series continues with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs sharing their favorite 30-minute weeknight dinners that help Mom and Dad spend more time with the kids each night. Today's recipes come from Amanda Haas, founder of One Family One Meal and the author of the new Cooking Light Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love.

It's hard not to love Amanda Haas's philosophy on family cooking. As the founder of One Family One Meal, Amanda believes there's no reason parents need to spend their evenings making separate dinners for the adults and kids in their lives. With proper meal planning, completed grocery lists, and a game plan in place, Mom and Dad can make one meal for the entire family — and eat it together. She's put her dinner philosophy to work in Cooking Light Real Family Food: Simple & Easy Recipes Your Whole Family Will Love ($13). The cookbook, which hits stores next week, offers up 150 kid- and grown-up-friendly recipes that can not only be made on busy weeknights, but that the kids can help create too! Here are three that fit our under-30-minute weeknight requirements.

Our tasty and easy Dinnertime Crunch series continues with celebrity chefs and restaurateurs sharing their favorite 30-minute weeknight dinners that help Mom and Dad spend more time with the kids each night. Today's recipes come from Do It Delicious founder and mother of three, Jessica Seinfeld.

It's easy to turn to frozen chicken nuggets on a busy weeknight. They're quick, easy, and you know the kids will eat them. While Mom and Dad may enjoy the breaded childhood staple, we know we shouldn't be eating them, but who really has time to cook one meal for the kids and another for the adults? Jessica Seinfeld says it's easier than you think. The children's cookbook author (whose third cookbook, which is geared toward those who are terrified of cooking, is due out in Fall 2013) and mother of three says that it's just as easy to whip up a chicken and couscous meal that the entire family will love. "My family goes wild for this crispy-skinned chicken," Jessica said. "And for the couscous salad, you don't have to turn on the stove, which if you're busy or don't love to cook, is a nice feature!"

Keep reading for Jessica Seinfeld's recipes for chicken under a "brick" and couscous salad with chickpeas, tomatoes, and mint.

Our tasty and easy Dinnertime Crunch series continues with celebrity chefs and restauranteurs sharing their favorite 30-minute weeknight dinners that help Mom spend more time with her kids each night. Today's recipes come from one of our favorite mom chefs, Catherine McCord, founder of Weelicious.

Dinner can be an insane time of day with everything mamas have going on. With two tots of her own, Weelicious's Catherine McCord knows a thing or two about juggling food, kids, and packed schedules. In trying to find a way to spend more time with her family, she's mastered the art of the 30-minute meal for the entire family — meaning everyone sits down and eats the same thing. That's the philosophy behind her first cookbook, Weelicious: One Family. One Meal (currently available for pre-order), and the six recipes she's sharing with us here!