u/TheRealOsamaru

So, I'll start by trying to clarify what specific genre I'm talking about here, and I'm not 100% sure it HAS an actual name yet.

The games I'm talking about are similar rougelike/rougelite games, typically with some type of "deck builder" aspect (even when there's no cards), "relics" and other similar aspects, but instead of being a fantasy setting, they're typically based around some sort of IRL game of luck or skill, such as cards, dice or arcade games.

The one people are likely most familiar with, is Balatro.

That said, there's seems to have recently been a huge boom in this type of game.

Luck Be A Landlord,

Peglin (which I could have sworn was older than Balatro)

CloverPit

Dungeons & Degenerate Gamblers

RACCOIN: Coin Pusher Roguelike

Dice A Million

etc etc etc.

There are earlier ones, of course, and more still being made.

My point is, this newer, budding 'subgenre' of rougelites are becoming a lot more popular recently.

Where did it all start?

Was it really just Balatro's popularity that sparked it off?

Was there earlier precursors?

Or did it just get people making them more and some game along the way really lit the fire.

Anyone know?

I'm a 35 year old bachelor living in a small studio apartment.

Suffice it to say I don't have the space or time to really cook every day while doing the dishes.

So I've started getting into meal prepping, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for things to make that would work well for how I'm doing things.

Specifically I've been freezing stuff into 1-cup bricks and roughly 1/2 cup cubes (Whisky ice cube tray works wonders for this).

I single brick is good for a meal most days, or a brick and cube if I want to mix things up.

I can stick about 6-7 bricks and 14-16 cubs into a gallon freezer back, and I can get 5-6 bags out of a large soup pot.

Currently I've been making a lot of;

"Chicken Stew," which is just roasted, pulled chicken breast stewed with beans, tomato and veggies. Think Chicken Noodle Soup without the noodles. Its awesome as a "broth" for ramen.

Homemade beef chili with veggies. Nothing fancy here.

Rice with beef or chicken and 3 pepper blend (great for burritos.

I also have freezer bags of frozen veggie mix I'll prepare according to what I'm feeling like, and throw in a scoop or two to any of the above if I want something more.

So far, it's been working pretty well, but as you can probably guess, its not the greatest variety. Sure, I can make 2-3 months worth of food in 2-3 days, but then I've got to eat just a handful of things for that time.

My freezer can fit about about 12 bads atm, and I'm looking for things I can make to refill a bad once its empty and I'm looking for options to mix up the variety a bit.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I only have a few stipulations.

1: No seafood or pork (allergic)

2: Large batch prep, so something I can make all at once in a pot or couple of pans, not something I have to make each serving individually.

3: Freezer safe. I'm looking for stuff that freezes well, and can retain its quality even after thawing. So preferably nothing with noodles and stuff like that.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!