Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker

This semester (from August to December) has crazy, jam packed Wednesdays.  I'm in class until 5 and Kaylee goes to practice at 5.  Here's the Wednesday schedule.

6:30 -- Wake up the kids
7:30 -- Leave for the bus stop
7:40 -- Kaylee gets on the bus
8:20 -- Mo gets on the bus
8:30 -- Drop Sunny off at school
8:45 -- Get to the gym
9:45 -- Leave the gym
10:00 -- Wake up Ken
10:30 -- Leave for Class
11-5 -- Class
12:30 -- Ken picks up Sunny
4:30 -- Ken picks up kids at the bus stop
4:45 -- Ken drops Kaylee off at swim
5:00 -- Ken picks up Katie
5:15 -- back to Kaylee's swim 
6:30 -- Finally home.
6:45 -- Start dinner

Crazy, right??!??  And originally Mo had gymnastics from 6:30 to 7:30.  We wouldn't have gotten home until close to 8.  But, I changed her practice from Wednesday to Thursday.  

These are the types of days that warrent breaking out the crockpot.  I love my crockpot.  It is a very under loved appliance in my kitchen.  

I'm always looking for newand unique recipes.  Kaylee is a baked bean freak.  She could eat a whole BJ's can by herself.  So, when I found this baked bean recipe on 100 Days of Real Food, I knew that I had to try it.  Plus, I had all the ingredients in my pantry.  I substituted black eyed peas for the navy beans that the recipe calls for because I didn't have any. 


Slow Cooker Baked Beans
adapted from 100 Days of Real Food: Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Calories: 153
Fat 1.2
Sodium: 882
Carbs:38
Sugar 7.5
Protein: 5

 Ingredients

1 lb dried black eyed peas (soak in water overnight)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
15 oz can tomato sauce
.75 cup sugar free maple syrup
3 T mustard 
3 T apple cider vinegar
3.5 c water


Directions

1. Whisk together  tomato sauce, syrup, mustard and vinegar. (I did this the nite before so I could dump it in the crockpot in the morning)
2. In the bowl of your crockpoot put  beans, bell peppers, onions, and water.  
3. Dump in tomato sauce mixture and stir.
4. Turn crockpot on High for 10-12 hours. 

These were super delicious.  They were great as a stand alone dinner.  Sweet but  I made simple baked potatoes to go with it.  They would also be great over rice.  The best part?  They were done when we got back from practice.  

I really wish that I had gotten a picture.  These will definitely be a reoccurring dish in our house.  What crockpot dishes do you like?

**Warning:  If you are here from Vegan Mofo then you need to realize that I am not normally a vegan.  I have some vegan recipes posted on my blog but, many contain meat or dairy. **