Ramadan, Medjool Dates, and Fat-Free, Whole Wheat, Low-Sugar Fig Newtons

I love Fig Newtons. I want them to be chewy, moist, sweet, and scrumptious. I want them to be fat-free, natural, whole wheat, and without high fructose corn syrup. I want them to be cheap.

You see what I am getting at. These demands cannot be met in any grocery store I know of. So when I saw a container of fresh, sweet California figs in Trader Joe's, I just couldn't say no.

It was my first time eating a fresh fig. Unfortunately, I wasn't completely swooned by the taste. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. The bright side, nonetheless: I now have enough figs to make fig bars that meet my standards!

As some of you may know, it is also the month of Ramadan. While this does mean I have to fast (no food or water!) from 4 AM to 8:30 PM everyday during the hot month of July, it also means my dad brought home a huge, 5 KG box of delicious, plump, sweet Medjool dates.

What do figs, Ramadan, and dates have in common? An unending, tormenting appetite with a serious need to kill some time.

It is now the 14th day of Ramadan. On each of those days, I embarked on a different baking adventure--much to my mother's dismay (who ends up cleaning the mess I leave in the kitchen each time). Today, I decided it was time I make something I could eat. Something healthy, fat-free, whole wheat, low-sugar, and guilt-free.

After much researching, and a trip to the grocery store, I created my own recipe for fat-free, low-sugar, and whole wheat fig and date bars. I have yet to try them, seeing that I am fasting. But by simply smelling and holding them, they seem quite promising.

Of course, I know that they will not taste as great as the high-fructose corn syrup loaded, buttery, sugary, and unhealthy fig bars found everywhere, but as long as they taste good and are guilt-free, I'm happy!

EDITOR'S NOTE: After breaking my fast, I finally got a taste of them. So goooood! Of course, this is coming from someone who didn't eat anything all day...