Energy Bars (Pseudo-Cliff Bars)

Since chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon are out when following a BOP-free diet, that severely limits the variety of pre-packaged energy/protein bars out there that one can consume. I really like bars in general because they offer me a nutritious, quick, all-in-one, eat-with-one-hand (I have an active toddler in the house!) meal/snack option. So, I've been searching for something that I could make at home omitting any necessary ingredients (i.e. cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate chips, etc.). This is what I came up with:

1 and 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1/4 cup finely chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, etc.- I used cranberries)
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
1/3 cup honey/real maple syrup/molasses (I used Light Agave Nectar and I don't think that it's sticky enough to hold the bars together so next time, I'm going to try honey)
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

Combine the rice cereal, oats, flaxseed meal, dried fruit, and nuts in a large bowl. Combine the syrup and nut butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted and well-blended. Pour nut butter mixture over cereal mixture, stirring until coated. Press mixture firmly into an 8-inch square pan (sprayed with nonstick cooking spray) using a large square of wax paper (really tamp it down). Cool in pan on a wire rack and chill at least 30 minutes to help it set. Cut into 12 bars. (Wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator).

Now, here is what I learned: Currently, my bars are chilling, so I'll have to wait to see how they taste- they look good, though! I used Agave Nectar instead of honey and I really wish I had used honey because Agave just doesn't have the "stickiness" needed to hold the bars together properly. Also, next time, I'd like to try using crisp brown rice cereal because I believe that would help with the overall nutrition of the bars. There's lots of room to play with this recipe and make other flavor combinations- shredded carrots with raisins and walnuts for a carrot cake flavor, dried cherries with almonds, flaked coconut for a tropical twist, dried apples with raisins for an apple pie flavor. The sky's the limit! Any other flavor combination suggestions would be most welcomed- just leave a comment.

**Update- I ate one of the bars for a snack, this afternoon, and it was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself. However, it was not as soft and chewy as I would have liked (Cliff bars tend to be softer and more in line with a no-bake oatmeal cookie texture). The bars stuck together- putting it in the fridge helped.