Blog - Page 4 of 7 - Just Justice

Happy/ Mental Health / September 12, 2022

Self Affirmations

Hello friends!! I have had so many people request a new blog so here it is. I also love sitting down and writing out my thoughts because my blogs hold me accountable, believe it or not. If I am talking about ways to overcome anxiety, I kinda have to listen to myself. Today I wanted to touch on how important affirmations have been in my life. I know affirmations aren’t a new concept, but I want you guys to consider telling yourself motivating sayings.

In times of stress, anger, or even times that I am disappointed with myself I have been speaking out loud affirmations about myself. Even if you don’t believe it at times, tell yourself these affirmations.

I find my brain being so negative throughout the week. “You aren’t smart enough, you haven’t been working out long enough, you need to read your bible more.” Whatever your brain is telling you, take a moment to reassure yourself that you are enough.

Telling yourself these affirmations fires up your neural pathways and makes changes to those areas of the brain that make you happy and positive according to studies I found online. 🙂

Many other studies can confirm that affirmations decrease stress, increase the number of exercise people do, and help you eat more fruits and vegetables. LIKE WHAT? Affirmations help you eat more fruits and vegetables, I’m so down for that. 🙂

As I was writing this blog, I was of course scrolling through Tik Tok and came across a video of Jennifer Lopez. She was saying, “Your thoughts create your life, you have to force your brain to think positively.” It can honestly be difficult to be positive all the time. Something I have noticed is so many people assume the worst, try shifting your mindset and start assuming the best from people. For example, “She gave me a weird look at work today, so she hates me and thinks I’m ugly.” I know that is a silly example, but so many of us fall into that trap. Assuming the worst all the time. I think we would find growth within ourselves if we shifted that mindset. An affirmation that I have been writing down every day is “Today I am looking forward. As the past has been done, and all we can change is the future. I am worthy of loving myself deeply. I love the person I am becoming. I stand firm in valuing myself.”

Speaking on having healthy brains, I was drawn back to a time when I felt like I was doing everything right. I was waking up early, drinking a lot of water, working out, journaling, and doing all the right things! Let me assure you I wasn’t feeling like I was doing everything right. This all boils down to until you figure out your mind and your feelings you aren’t healthy. If this is you I would just encourage you to start spending time with yourself, figuring yourself out. I am the worst at this because I am a go go go, person. I like to be productive all the time. We have to start slowing down and recapping our day and our feelings. If not we won’t become better! Time to connect with ourselves friends.

I just wanted to share some different types of affirmations that might be helpful to you this week!

Self-love Affirmations

I love myself as I am today
I choose to be kind to myself today
I deserve happiness and joy
I am a positive person who attracts positive things in my life
I honor my life

Self-Image Affirmations

My body is a gift. I treat it with love and respect
I love my body
I am beautiful
I love myself the way I am today
The positivity in my heart reflects on my face

Work/ School Affirmations

I am going to have a productive day
I choose to learn and grow from hard situations today
I am smart
I can excel
I have a passion for my job/ classes I am taking

Affirmations I tell myself

I am full of endless potential
I am open to all the love the universe has to offer
I am a good friend
I am in good health
I am whole
Jesus is longing to have a deeper relationship with me
I am enough

I hope we can start teaching our brains some of these affirmations because they are all true!

Happy/ Mental Health / June 3, 2022

Life is too Short

HEYYYOOO friends! It has been a while since my last blog post, but don’t worry I am trying to be better about posting more blogs. As I finished up my junior year of college, I realized the peace I felt after finals were over. I feel that I have nothing to worry about, and I feel like myself. Happy Justice! I know many of you can relate to this feeling, and as I began to ponder why I feel so peaceful and content in my life. I just realized that we oftentimes put so much pressure on ourselves to be the best all the time. Whether that looks like being the best mom, employee, boss, friend, or girlfriend. What would it look like if we all just slowed down for a little bit? This is easier said than done. I believe we must be cautious of our time each day and what we want to fill it with. Or else your day goes by too fast trying to accomplish everything off your to-do list. I fall into this trap way too often, I am obsessed with my to-do list. You can ask my friends if I have “get gas, go on a walk” on my to-do lists. My main point in this is we need to be intentional about how we use our time, and what makes us happy. If you’re unsure about how you can destress your life, here are a couple of things that I like to do that makes me feel less stressed and happy.

– Take a walk
– Journal
– Paint
– Call your mom/ friend/ anyone that will make you happy
– Put your phone down and enjoy quiet time

I am sure you have heard the saying “you’re stuck with yourself forever,” well it’s true. You’re with yourself 24/7. Make time for yourself every day. Check-in with yourself. Are you truly happy?
Life does get in the way at times, but let me reassure you that as hard as life may feel, your mental health and happiness are just as important. It is so easy to fall into a trap of stress and anxiety about your future and what is next, but God has you in a very specific place on purpose. In times of stress and anxiety take a moment to realize that everything happening right now is supposed to happen. God has you at this exact point in your life on purpose. Lean into your present time.

Let me ask you something. When was there a time when you felt your happiest? You felt the most content or felt the closest to God. You felt proud of yourself. What is in the way of becoming that person, or even becoming a better person? I found that when I spend time by myself, I can understand myself better and whom I want to become. It’s time to feel peace again friends!

I am going to make a large assumption that everyone reading this can agree that time goes by way too fast. “The older you get, the faster it goes.” You might feel this way. I want to remind you, that YOU can make a difference in your own life. It’s time to put yourself first. Time to make YOU happy. Life is too short for you to be unhappy.

Cooking/Recipes / May 4, 2022

Homemade Churros

Heyyyoo friends!! Did you miss me? Well, I certainly missed all of you!

My class blog project is actually over which means I don’t have to be posting anymore, however, I’ve decided to continue because I thoroughly love doing this. I hope you love reading my blogs just as much. Rather than sharing two blogs a week, my goal is to post once a week.

Let’s treat ourselves, friends! Today I am going to give you a yummy churro recipe for an air fryer. Yum! Don’t worry, if you don’t have an air fryer, you can still make this recipe. I made these churros a couple of weekends ago for a big Mexican dinner, and man oh man were they delicious. I doubled the batch because I had a feeling they would be a big hit…which they were!

Ingredients

5 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of water
1 cup of flour
2 eggs
½ cup of cinnamon sugar

Directions

Melt the butter on medium heat. Add sugar, salt, water, vanilla, and flour into the saucepan.
Continue stirring on low heat for 3-4 minutes until the mixture becomes a dough-like consistency.
Place the dough in a bowl, and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Next, add one egg at a time until the eggs are mixed through the dough evenly.
Once the dough is ready, add the mixture into a piping bag or I used a Pampered Chef accent decorator tool.
You can make these churros as long as you would like. I personally like them about 2-3 inches in length. Place a piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Spray the foil with cooking spray. Then place the churros on the aluminum foil.
If you’re using an air fryer, you might have to do 2 different batches. Bake the churros at 400 degrees for about 6-7 minutes.
Once the churros are cooked to your liking, lightly spray cooking spray over the top. Roll each churro in the cinnamon sugar. Enjoy!

Directions for the stove

You need about an inch of canola oil in your pan on medium/ high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add them to the skillet.
Allow the churros to cook for about 5-6 minutes until they are golden brown.
Remove churros from the skillet, and dry them on a paper towel until dry.
Lightly spray the churros with olive oil, and roll them in cinnamon sugar.

Let me know if you try these. They are so perfect and yummy. My friends and I ate about 30 of them in one sitting! I made a Tik Tok down below to better explain how to make them.

@justjusticelifestyle

TIME TO TREAT YOURSELF FRIEND!! Make these homemade churros, I’m obsessed ! I used my air fryer but you can also use your stove as well. The link to the recipe is in the comments 😆🤍 #airfryerchurros #airfryer

♬ Everybody Wants To Rule The World X Electric Love – darcy stokes

Happy/ Mental Health / April 7, 2022

Longing for a Better Faith

Today I wanted to talk about my faith journey, my peaks and valleys, and how to have stronger faith. Faith can be a very hard topic to write a blog about, but I hope that I can just help one person reading this. According to Google, there are over 4,000 different religions. So I think it is safe to say that our beliefs might fluctuate and look different. I want to speak to the individuals who might be longing for more in their faith journey. Have you ever been around people who love the Lord so much, that they just radiate happiness? You love being around them because they truly walk out what the Lord has called them to. Well, I am here telling you today that the faith you have always longed for, is attainable.

I grew up attending church every Sunday, and I have always loved the Lord so much. I can remember being 7 years old and raising my hands at church. Christ has always been a big part of the person I am today. It wasn’t until I went to college that my perspective on church and my faith changed. I didn’t have someone telling me we were going to church on Sunday. I had the opportunity to figure out what my faith meant to me. I can remember a point in college, I was having way too much fun on the weekends, and just not making church a priority. Now, I am not saying you can’t have fun on a Saturday night and go to church on Sunday morning. Because I do that all the time. It all boils down to what is important in my life, and I needed to be more intentional with my relationship with God.

I want you to know that God himself longs to have an intimate relationship with you. Do you realize, that even when you might not think about him during your day, you are always on his mind? He hand-knitted you in your mother’s womb. He knows the number of hairs on your head. He truly loves and adores you. God is waiting for you to run back into his arms again. God is also so proud of the person you are and will become. Psalm 91:4 says, “He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

Something that amazes me is when I reflect on certain seasons of my life, and see how he worked in those times. I can see how I am a stronger human now, because of my past. If you are thinking, “Justice, faith scares me. The Christian faith has all these rules, and I don’t think I believe in all of them. I want to be close to God but I don’t know how to be.” Well, let me start by saying it is completely okay to question your faith, dig deeper into the word and teach yourself.

I also acknowledge that a lot of people have different beliefs and views in their faith, that is OKAY. God did not intend for people to think the bible is a list of rules. The bible is a guide for a beautiful and fruitful life. There are many different interpretations in the bible, and that is why I do not believe, “if you do this, you’re bad and going to hell.” God loves every human, bug, dog, whatever it is. He loves you. Everyone’s relationship with God is evolving as we grow, meet new people, and experience different life circumstances. One thing always remains the same, is God’s love.

So, if you are longing to deepen your relationship with God or just wanting to explore for the first time what that relationship might look like for you, below I share a few suggestions.

Make time for Him

This was the biggest game-changer when I felt the closest to God. Being intentional about the time you spend with him. Whether it’s time in prayer, doing a devotional, or spending time in his word, it’s all about connecting with him. There are wonderful bible apps that are extremely helpful. Your relationship with God is no different from a relationship with a friend. If you are not spending quality time together talking and getting to know one another…it’s not going to be the quality relationship you long for. Like any relationship, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. This will be the best investment of your time…I promise you!

Express Gratitude

This might sound silly. But try and talk to God during the day like a friend. A lot of time people don’t know what to say to God or feel like they have to be formal when they pray. Sometimes I am like, “Holy cow God, today is a beautiful day outside, and you’re so freaking amazing.” No joke, I was on Broadway last Saturday, and I began to look around at everyone enjoying the live music. Watched as so many people just smiled and danced. I thanked God for the blessing of music and that it brought joy to so many. Praise him in the most random moments.

Surround yourself with like-minded people

This might be one of the most important things you can do. It will be so challenging to live out your faith journey if you don’t surround yourself with other people who have the same goal. You must have people in your life who encourage, challenge, and make you better every day. I realize this isn’t always easy or doesn’t happen overnight. I challenge you to start asking God to put people in your life that he wants to have in your circle. I promise you if you are open to this, you will see him at work. Always remember, we grow like the company we keep!

Be a light

Everything God has put in you is exactly what the world and the people around you need. Be the light.

My encouragement for you is to set your timer for 2-3 minutes. Just talk to God. Share something about your day with him. Whether it’s you stubbed your toe today, or you are looking for new friends. The next time you are alone driving in your car, rather than turn on the radio, spend that quiet time talking with God. In the morning, instead of grabbing your phone to scroll through social media, spend that time talking to God about your upcoming day. Make time for Him.

I have been wanting to write a blog about faith for quite some time, but I felt like I would say the wrong things, or even that I didn’t have anything worthwhile to share. Let me break it to you, I don’t have everything figured out. What I do know is that God is in the middle of it all and he loves me no matter what. I am living, sinning, learning, and trying to become better every single day. Let’s do this together, friends.

Please leave a comment if you wanna talk or have any questions, and hopefully, I can help you in any way I can. (or just leave a comment if you think I should talk about a certain topic)

Cooking/Recipes / April 4, 2022

Grammy’s Famous Potato Soup

Y’all I am treating you to one of my family’s all-time favorite recipes. Grammy’s potato soup! YUMMY IN MY TUMMY. This is not just any type of potato soup. The soup is very light and scrumptious, and you’re probably going to want to eat 3 bowls at once. No joke 😉

Ingredients

Serving: 8-10 bowls

5-6 potatoes
Half a gallon of 2% milk
½ cup of heavy whipping cream
2 eggs
¾ cup of flour
1 onion or one whole shallot
1 tablespoon of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 tablespoon of thyme

Directions

Boil water at high heat.
While the water is boiling, peel your potatoes. Dice them up into small little squares.
It’s time to make the “riblets.” (very similar to dumplings) Whisk two eggs into a bowl, and add the flour sparingly into the eggs. This will create a dough-like consistency. (Watch my Tik Tok for a better explanation and vision)
Next, add your potato squares into the boiling water for about 3 minutes.
Tear off little “riblets” and add them into the boiling water with the potatoes. The riblets should be about ½ inch around, it should be a little ball. The riblets only take about 3 minutes to cook. (potatoes should take 6 minutes, and riblets 3 minutes)
Once the potatoes and the riblets are cooked, add them to a strainer. Then mince one whole onion (or one whole shallot). Add the olive oil to the pot, and add the onions and garlic for them to be caramelized. The onions should be cooked on low/ medium heat for about 5 minutes. Once the onions have a golden look to them, it’s time to add the milk.
Add the milk and the heavy whipping cream to the caramelized onion/ garlic mixture.
Add the strained potatoes and riblets into the pot. Let the milk warm up on medium heat.
Add the thyme, salt, and pepper into the soup.
After about 5 minutes on medium, the soup is ready to enjoy!

For all my fellow cheese lovers, I always love to add a dash of cheddar cheese into the soup. Please let me know if you end up trying this recipe, and leave any other recipes you want me to make in the comments! Watch my Tik Tok below for a better explanation.

@justjusticelifestyle

GRAMMYS HOMEMADE POTATO SOUP!! Recipe is in my comments 😁👩‍🍳#potatosoup #soup #soupdumplings #bestsoup #homemadefood

♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Lifestyle Brand

BEST SALAD EVER!!! Jennifer Aniston salad spin-off!

Choosing Happiness

Setting Boundaries

Morning skinny/ Body Image

Ups & Downs

Self Affirmations

Life is too Short

Homemade Churros

Longing for a Better Faith

Grammy’s Famous Potato Soup