Springtime Snow?

This weekend was gloriously beautiful in Ottawa, the sun was out, it was about 7 degrees celcius and my friend managed to convince me it was warm enough to get my wussy ass outside for a change. We suited up in the most interesting attire, me with my pink Ryder glasses (awesome piece of running gear, LOVE them), my electric blue mittens, and a bright orange running room jacket my friend provided me because I literally don't have any winter, or fall, or spring running gear. I looked like rainbow brite threw up on me, and sadly, I was proud of it. No one was going to miss seeing me if I fell on my face on the ice!

The run actually went really well, almost 5k outside and only needed to slow down twice for some serious ice patches. No clue on the time, but it got done. I actually enjoyed being outside, and thought that my transition from gym running to outside running might be in the works for the season. That is, until I got up this morning to see this, on the first day of spring:

Within hours, it is back to the miserable, cold Ottawa I know and hate all winter. Why won't it go away?? I know it will get better from here on out, but I just want the winter blahs to be gone. On a positive note, since I have been focusing on my weight, I have lost a whopping 6 pounds! That's huge considering I am only 5'4" when I stand really tall, and only had about 10-15 to lose. Here's hoping I can continue the momentum I have gained so far.

I have found a great, if odd new replacement for sugar. As I have stated before, I am a sugar addict, it is my #1 weakness, but I have just recently ventured to try nature's best sugar source:

DATES!!!

I am thinking about making my own power/energy/lara bars this weekend, and will report back the success (or lack thereof) later. For now, I will leave you with a link to the best slow cooker pea and ham soup I made this weekend. Just a caution, cook less than the time listed, or add more liquid, because this soup is more a puree than thin, and I had it come out of my lunch container into a bowl in one blob (shaped in the edge of my container) today. But it is tasty!

Anyone have a good larabar recipe that does not include pecans, walnuts or cashews? Please share!