We're officially halfway through our plastic-free week and we thought this would be a good time for our initial reactions to this challenge.

First, this challenge is not an exercise in perfection. And believe us when we tell you we've had some serious #plasticfreefail situations so far. But, to start on a positive note, we're already achieving some pretty big goals:

Increasing our awareness of just how much plastic is everywhere;
Identifying the areas where we're most guilty of participating in plastic waste;
Making other people think a little more about plastic in their lives.

Yep, we're incredibly aware of the plastic literally surrounding our food. Yep, we've identified the egregious ways we've contributed to plastic pollution. And yep, we've heard from others that they've thought twice this week about that plastic fork they were going to use at lunch (and we feel pretty good about that one). So, we're mid-week - what have we learned?

Here are our top 4 mid-week lessons from our plastic-free challenge:

Food Prep is Primo

We've figured out early on that advanced food preparation is important. Most grab-and-go meal and snack options come with plastic packaging. In fact, we realized on Monday morning (Day 1) that our go-to breakfast Monday through Friday is a double whammy plastic polluter. So, you either need to prep ahead of time or build time into your typical morning schedule to get your meal strategy set for the day. We're big fans of the snooze button, so meal prep it is!

Bulk Foods are Friends

If you bring your own containers to the supermarket, most stores have a pretty good option for stocking up on snacks and meal ingredients. From seeds and nut butters to pasta and rice, stores give you the option to bypass the plastic packaging that is everywhere up and down the aisles. Just don't forget your reusable containers, otherwise you're left using their provided plastic bags and containers.

Don't Sweat Your Mistakes

You really have to be the one responsible for researching what materials restaurants (the fast casuals of the world) use for their dining products, and speaking up about what you want and don't want on your table. That being said, there's only so much that you can do. Here's where the #plasticfreefail scenarios came into play for us earlier this week.

At Starbucks on Tuesday (Day 2) we forgot our reusable mug and asked the barista to forgo the lid. He was totally open to doing this, but forgot a few minutes later after our latte was steamed to our requested "extra hot." By the time we could stop him, the lid was already contaminated and tossed into the trash. #fail
On Day 2 we also thought we found crackers packaged in foil only to discover they were nestled in two tiny plastic trays. #fail
On Wednesday (Day 3), we were getting together with some friends and our hostess offered to pick up food from Roti. We called their catering 800 number to confirm the materials their to-go containers were made of. The woman on the line assured us that both dinnerware and lids were made of biodegradable cardboard. Later, after orders were made, paid for, and picked up, we discovered that the lids were, in fact, our plastic foes. #fail
On Thursday (Day 4), hangry and out of food at home, we thought we'd bypass the frustration of grocery shopping with growling stomachs and stopped by Cava for dinner. We knew their bowls were safe, they offer metal utensils, we had our reusable water bottles in tow, and we could vehemently reject their plastic lids to their face. Too bad the staff moved a mile a minute and were too quick to lid our meals despite our pleas for "no plastic!" #fail

Cheating Is Easy

Whether it's from someone else's mistake, pure accident, plastic hidden in plain sight, or desperation, it's really hard not to cheat. [See above for some of those examples.] We've discovered that one of us (cough, cough Scott) is a day-long simple carb grazer. What does that mean? More or less, you keep yourself consistently full throughout the day eating crappy foods that provide temporary bursts of energy, like pretzels or crackers, but still have an appetite for dinner because those foods aren't providing the right kind of nourishment your body needs. Because we've had to cut those kinds of snacks since they're mostly packaged in plastic, one of us (cough, cough Scott) has felt hungry literally all week long. The silver lining? This is a good exercise in recognizing when we're eating because we're hungry vs. when we're bored, and a good exercise in choosing healthier food options.

Listen, we're not experts on this subject by any means, and we don't have all of the answers and insight. But, based on our goals of this challenge, next week we plan to walk away with some very clear next steps on how and why we're committed to cutting plastic in specific ways from our lives.

Are you doing this challenge along with us? What have you learned so far? Any tips you can share? Comment below!