This snack is not only quick and easy, it's good for you, too. And it contains 200 calories — the perfect amount for a light nibble between meals or after dinner. Dig in!

What you'll need

1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon peanut butter

1 small apple, sliced

What you'll do

Melt chocolate in microwave-safe dish for about 20 seconds. Stir chocolate into peanut butter and spread on apple slices.

Why you'll love this snack

Tastes like an apple dipped into a melted peanut butter cup. Healthy decadence!

Semisweet (also known as dark or bittersweet) chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate because it's made with more cocoa beans and less sugar. Cocoa beans contain plant compounds called flavonoids, which may lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase blood flow to the brain to keep our memory sharp. Look for chocolate that is made without added milk fat (check the ingredients to see that "milk fat" is not listed). Choose chocolate that has at least 35% cocoa — higher percentages (like 60% or 70%) are even better, since they have more healthy cocoa beans, less sugar and a stronger chocolaty taste.

Peanut butter contains 8 grams of fat per tablespoon, but 80% of it is heart-smart unsaturated fats, which help to keep cholesterol in check and heart disease at bay. Choose "natural" peanut butters, since they contain no added artificial hydrogenated oils (trans fats) like many of the standard versions. (Hydrogenated oil is not good for your cholesterol levels.) Check the ingredient list: The only two things on the list should be ground peanuts and maybe a little salt.

Note: When you buy natural types of peanut butter, there is often a natural separation of oil on the top. There are contraptions out there that you can use to mix things back up. I like this one from R.N. Witmer Company. Or, you can just warm your peanut butter in the microwave (without the metal lid, please!) for a few seconds and then stir it with a fork.

Apples contain over 100 different disease-fighting antioxidant compounds — turns out an apple a day really will keep the doctor away! According to the Women's Health Study (a survey of nearly 40,000 women), those who regularly eat apples have a 13–22% decrease in heart disease compared with their non-apple-eating counterparts. Eat the peel too: It contains more antioxidants than the flesh. Apples emit a natural gas called ethylene as they ripen, which makes any fruit or vegetables near them ripen faster. So if you want your produce to last longer, make sure your apples are separated from your other fruit!

Per serving: 199 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated), 24 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 5 g protein, 5 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol

Bonus bite from Dawn:

One tablespoon of peanut butter has 100 calories, and 1 tablespoon of chocolate chips has about 70 calories, so to keep calories in check, be sure to measure these healthy but high-calorie ingredients carefully. If you're not in the mood for chocolate, you can try a peanut butter yogurt dip for apple slices. Warm 1 tablespoon of peanut butter in a microwave-safe dish for about 20 seconds (so it is more stir-able). Add 2 tablespoons of low-fat vanilla yogurt and mix until smooth. This Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip with Apple Slices is 162 calories.

Dawn Jackson Blatner is a registered and licensed dietitian, and a national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Read more about her here.