If you can’t even imagine turning on the oven during the summer heat, no-bake desserts are the perfect alternatives to your usual fresh baked cookies. These oven-free desserts are just as delicious as more traditional options, and they’re often much easier to prepare, which leaves you with more time for lounging by the pool! Here are three no-bake dessert recipes to try at your next potluck dinner.

7-Layer Ice Cream Cake [marthastewart.com]
Cool off after a summer dinner with this colorful ice cream cake. Pound cake creates a sweet, dense base stacked between layers of tasty vanilla ice cream, while thick meringue is a wonderfully fluffy replacement for the usual heavy icing.

Creamy Layered Lemon Squares [snackworks.com]
Swap out your usual lemon square recipe for something much quicker — and cooler. Basic graham crackers create a crunchy crust, and the addition of ripe strawberries makes this dessert perfect for the summertime.

Hawaiian Cookie Balls [kraftrecipes.com]
The kids will adore these fun and tasty cookie balls made with sweet, crushed pineapple and flaky coconut. You can also decorate them with colorful gel icings and sprinkles to turn them into fun ducks or chickens for a child’s birthday party.

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr Infomastern

Out of every room in your home, the kitchen seems to be the space that gets used the most—and it's also the space that's first to attract clutter! Sound like you? Follow these tips to help maintain order in your busy kitchen.

• Go through your cabinets and donate or toss out the items that are not frequently used. Your main goal is to have only the items that you love and use.
• Create groups or categories for your items. For example, sort all of your baking items together in one section and your cooking items in another.
• Use clear containers to store items and place them inside your cabinets. This keeps everything from being scattered all over the place.
• Place hooks underneath your cabinets to hold mugs or use a stemware rack in the same spot to hold wine glasses. You could also use adhesive hooks inside of your cabinets to hang measuring cups or oven mitts.
• Use rotating trays in your cabinets to hold oils, vinegars, or spices. You can also use them in your refrigerator for beverages.
• Use a small bar cart to store some silverware or your coffee pot and mugs.

Organize Your Kitchen Cabinets [Container Store]
10 Kitchen Organization Hacks To Keep Clutter Contained [The Stir]
10 Steps to an Orderly Kitchen [HGTV]

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/Ginny

FIT members aren't scrambling to get in and out of the gym. Unlike the crowded, uncomfortable atmosphere you'll find at most cookie-cutter gyms, FIT cultivates an ambiance that makes guests want to stay a while.

Perhaps it's the free Wi-Fi offered in a comfortable lounge. Or maybe members stick around for the steam rooms and saunas where they can unwind after a workout. Of course, it could also be the FIT cafe, where desktop computers are open for checking e-mail, low-fat meals and smoothies are served, and fitness apparel and supplements are sold.

No matter the reason, exercisers often seem to stick around around working out on FIT's state-of-the art cardio and strength equipment. That is, if they decide not to attend one of the popular Group X fitness classes. From Pilates and "Hard CORE" classes to cycling and INSANITY sessions, the group workouts get attendees sweating alongside friends.

FIT
1532 W. Gray Street
Houston, TX 77019
(713) 782-9348
www.fithouston.com
www.yelp.com/biz/fit-athletic-club-houston

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/tabor-roeder